Yu-Gi-Oh! Spirits of the Past: Prologue
by WritingwithGusto
Summary: (AU) Yuna Kaiba never thought he had power. He did not think he could conceivably be a duelist on par with that of the previous Kings of Dueling. But as it turns out, he is going to learn that this is not even close to true. In fact, he has something to him that the world needs. But can he discover it, or will he be destroyed trying to?
1. Ep 1: 'Enter Yuna Kaiba' Part 1

**Hello there! I am WritingwithGusto (but let's keep it informal. Gusto is fine).**

 **And I am making my own Yugioh series in this Fanfic. Now, I'm actually just placing it here, because I don't know where the hell else to put it.**

 **It's past Zexal in the timeline, but makes a ton of references to old characters, so I just decided to put it in the basic Yu-Gi-Oh!, because it involves so many other characters who are descendants of the others from 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' as well as all of the other series.**

 **Also, It's an AU where 'Arc-V' doesn't exist (sorry any Arc-V fans who read this. It's nothing against that series. I just haven't seen it, and don't have the time to). But it will be introducing a ton of custom cards from my head, as well as a new kind of summon.**

 **Also, since it's an AU, I'll be using my own pairings, thank you very much. But pairings like Jaden x Alexis, and Yusei x Akiza (that are generally accepted) will be part of this fic's canon. But other than that, I'll use my own discretion.**

 **And with that, welcome... to 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Spirits of the Past!'**

* * *

It was all black, and no one was around. The only one there was a teenage boy. He had messy black hair that was tied into a low ponytail, and front bangs tipped with crimson. Said bangs covered his left eye, while his right eye (which showed a Dark Green iris) surveyed his surroundings.

Finding nothing of particular interest, the boy wondered where he was. He looked to find nothing else, until of course, he saw a bright light in the distance. That light faded only a few seconds after he saw it, and a second later, something appeared in front of him.

If it weren't for the fact that he himself was floating in this dark place, he would've fell backwards in shock. But due to floating, he just seemed to do an unintentional back flip. And was stuck looking back at the creature.

It was humanoid, and looked to be made of pure light, but at the same time, a creature of fire. What would be it's hair looked to be a large amount of waving flames. It's eyes were a deep amethyst color, and there appeared to be a symbol on it's forehead...

Then he realized: The symbol on it's forehead was shaped similar to an eye.

He was not given time to focus on that, as the creature reached right for him. As its hand approached his face, a powerful energy was radiating from the creature, causing his hair to blow in all directions, as if he was in a windstorm. The creature's finger approached his left eye, and visions of things he had never seen before entered the boy.

And then, the boy heard something. He couldn't interpret the words, and it scared him. It made him feel like he was staring into the face of death itself. He was scared to open his eyes...

* * *

The boy bolted awake, to find himself looking up at his same familiar ceiling. He was in his dorm room, at the famous 'Seto Kaiba Memorial Dueling Academy'. He had been enrolled there this year, due to his skills as a duelist, and was sharing this room with his two best friends. Looking over, he found that one of them was sleeping on the top bunk, while the other was gone. No doubt she was getting to the cafeteria before anyone else did. That girl was always hungry.

As the boy got up, he thought to himself _'Dammit, Yuna! Why do you keep getting these dreams?'_ He was very pissed by this, but he's always pissed. He is Yuna after all.

Getting up, the first thing he did was look over to his dresser. On top of it was his duel disk. It started out as a mere KaibaCorb Duel Disk (the same kind used in Battle City), but Yuna had customized it, adding on a D-Pad, that way he wouldn't be behind the times.

He took out his dueling deck, so as to check it before classes. He had all of his cards, including the three he valued the most. The three copies of his grandpa's favorite card...

The 'Blue Eyes White Dragon'.

Looking at these cards reminded him of how many times he had played them. They were kept in pristine condition, due to his grandpa's love for these cards, and the fact of the amount of money their family had. Unfortunately, this reminded him of his nightmares, and pissed him off again.

 _'Such is the life of Yuna Kaiba. The boy who's always annoyed at something.'_

Yuna got himself dressed, and, remembering his school does casual Fridays, went with wearing his blue jeans, a black undershirt, his black work shoes (with white highlights), and signature hoodie. It was a pure white hoodie that had several odd symbols on it.

On the left sleeve, right where his bicep would be, was a symbol in the shape of a small key with golden curves, looking nearly exactly the same as the pendant he always saw when he saw Yuma Tsukumo duel on TV. On the right sleeve, right where his bicep would be, he had a symbol made of bright red lines. He didn't know why, but it always reminded him of a dragon's head.

And on the back of the hoodie, right near the shoulders, was a large symbol, in the shape of an eye.

 _'Wait a minute! That eye looks similar to the one on that creature.'_

He remembered the dream vividly, and recalled the symbol on the creature's forehead. He was right. Other than looking gold, the symbol on the back of his hoodie looked like the one on the creature...

"You up already, Yuna?"

Yuna almost jumped in surprise. He saw his roommate, Kano Muto, looking back at him. He was a boy with long blonde hair, tipped with hints of black and magenta. His grandparents were two of the most famous duelists in the world (in their time), Yugi and Rebecca Muto, yet he himself didn't like to show his skill in it.

"Yeah, Kano," Yuna said, "I figure I better catch up to Janine. We both know she's getting an early breakfast."

"Man, that girl is always hungry. I'm amazed how she ain't fat or nothing."

"Agreed."

* * *

Yuna walked out of the dorm room, Kano following close by. Kano was wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts, with his favorite white sneakers, as well as wearing his glasses (being out of contacts today). He also had his D-pad, with his deck inside.

"Yuna, when are you gonna get rid of that thing," Kano asked, referring to Yuna's custom Duel Disk, "Get something mainstream, man."

"And get rid of the Duel Disk I customized myself? Are you crazy?"

It was true. Other than the basic body, Yuna had done most everything on this duel disk himself, even finding a way to hook up a D-Pad and his Duel Gazer.

"And besides that, as the 'Last of a Dying Breed', it only seems fitting my equipment be considered 'outdated'."

With that comment, Kano kept his mouth shut, and they continued searching for Janine...

"Can it, Wheeler," Yuna heard from a distance "You lost fair and square." Looking over in that direction, he saw Janine Wheeler. She was a tall girl, nearly six feet (in comparison to Yuna's 5'7 and Kano's 5'5), with long blonde hair and deep brown eyes. She was dressed in her casual outfit: a black tank top with a faded blue jacket, short shorts, and her favorite converse shoes. To Yuna, she always looked amazing, even in just that.

"No way," Janine said, speaking with a light Brooklyn accent, "You were using some crazy cards to win! You had to have been cheatin'!"

"No one likes a sore loser," an upper classman told her, "Now hand over your deck!"

"Whoa whoa," Yuna cut in, "What's going on here?" One of the lackey's to the upper classman, jumped in and explain "What's going on is that Janine lost to Wake here, and won't give up her deck!"

 _'Oh...'_

Yuna knew all about Wake. He was your stereotypical jock, being really big and muscular, with a blonde 'surfer dude' haircut. He was considered the best in the school, and was undefeated. But Yuna knew that Wake was only good because of his dirty tactics. He would cheat, and keep his best cards in his sleeve. He had heard that was a tactic some guy called 'Bandit Kieth' used to do.

"I ain't givin' up my deck to some cheater!"

"You have to, Wheeler," Wake said, reaching his hand toward her. Yuna however stopped him. Wake asked "Who the heck are you?"

"Name's Yuna Kaiba."

"Ah. The 'Last of a Dying Breed'."

Yuna didn't even give so much as a 'hmph'. He was known as the 'Last of a Dying Breed', because he still used Normal Monsters as his ace monsters in his deck. Something that no one at the academy does, and that very few people ever do competitively anymore.

"Listen up, Wake," Yuna responded, "I ain't letting Janine lose her deck."

Wake laughed, and told him, "You ain't got a choice in the matter." It pissed Yuna off, mainly because he knew it was true... or was it?

"Are you a betting man, Wake?"

It was obvious he had captured the older boy's attention, "What do you have in mind?"

"We duel tomorrow. If I win, Janine gets to keep her deck."

"And if I win?"

Yuna hesitated for only a second, but his resolve remained strong. "Then I'll give you MY deck in it's place." Wake laughed at this, and said "So you're gonna protect your little girlfriend's cards by losing to me? That's seriously rich!" As soon as he had finished his little laugh, he continued, saying "In one day, I'll have your cards."

And as soon as Wake was gone, Janine smacked Yuna upside the head.

* * *

"You goddamn idiot!" Janine yelled at Yuna. They were back at the dorm, and she was wanting to knock some sense into Yuna. "Why would you make that bet!? My deck ain't worth you risking your's over!"

"Yeah, Yuna," Kano added, "You have a lot of valuable cards in your deck, whereas Janine doesn't."

"She's got her 'Red Eyes Black Dragon'."

"Yeah," Janine said hesitantly, "But you got so much more than just that! You're gonna lose your cards if you lo-"

"Well I ain't gonna lose to a cheater!"

The two looked in shock at their friend. Both of them wanted him to elaborate, which he did. "Janine's a dueling prodigy. There's no way she'd lose to someone like Wake in a fair duel."

Janine was shocked, "You really think I'm that good?"

"Hell yeah! You're one of the best I've ever met."

Janine smiled at that, and Yuna was happy to see her smile. "Don't worry, Janine," he continued, "I'll beat that Wake and win. Neither of us are losing our cards. Now come on, let's go get some food." Janine then hesitated, saying "I kinda don't wanna leave the dorm tonight..."

"No problem, I'll just order pizza. Pepperoni, right?"

"Yeah!"

And with that, the three friends had a pizza party. Yuna, having a lot of money, was able to order as much pizza as they could eat, and they had the best night they'd had in a while.

To the point where it took their minds off of Wake, and the duel tomorrow.

* * *

Yuna awoke once more, in the area of black. He must have been in another dream. This time, at the very least, he understood it. Looking in the same direction as he did the previous night, he saw another creature. This one looked slightly different.

At the place this creature's hair was, it was physically different. Still wavy and gravity defying, but in a different shape. But that wasn't the only difference. Another was this creature's eyes...

Its left eye was a deep red color, and its right eye was a pure gold color.

The creature touched Yuna's forehead, and a jolt of lightning ran through his head. Closing his eyes, he opened them and saw a vision...

One of Yuma Tsukumo!

He was sitting on the couch with his wife Cathy. Her obsession with cats had died down (she and Yuma still have a couple of cats, though), wearing her hair without the cats ear design, and she was dressed in a normal pink tank top and jeans. In addition, Astral was there as well, floating lazily to the side. _'Wait... Astral? How do I know that name? And how do I know all of this!?'_

"Are you sure you must do this, Yuma," this imaginary Cathy asked, interrupting Yuna's train of thought. Yuma nuzzled up against her, and said "Don't worry, Cat. I'll be fine. It's just a random duelist who wants a shot at my title."

"Yuma, you're wife is only looking out for you."

"I know, Astral" Yuma said casually, "And I genuinely appreciate it. But I'll come back. I refuse to lose!"

Cathy giggled, and said "You always know just what to say to make me happy." And with that, they kissed.

As soon as the vision was over, he was returned to where he had been before. The creature of flame stared at him, it's eyes piercing, almost as if it were staring into his soul. Raising it's hand, Yuna's hair blew in all directions, similar to how it did last dream. And once again, this creature muttered a many words that Yuna couldn't understand...

But out of all of them, he could've sworn he heard the word... 'Zexal'...

* * *

Yuna woke up once more, early in the morning. His dream had startled him awake, only this time, he was up when he needed to be. He also saw Janine awake, and was curious as to what was up. The moment he asked, she said "Check it," and showed him a newspaper:

 _'Famous dueling champion Yuma Tsukumo, better known as the 'Number Master' was found dead, along with his wife, Catherine Tsukumo, in their home. The two have no injuries on them, and there is nothing implying homicide, suicide, or overdose. We have blood tested the two, and found no signs of drugs in their veins, so we're completely unsure of what happened to the two. All that is known that the two have left their estate to his sister and her husband. An investigation is being done right now to find out the exact cause of their deaths.'_

"Damn," Yuna said, unable to believe what he just read, "... Wait! What time is it?!" Janine looked over at the clock and said, "Aw damn! We got places to be! Duels to win!" And the two rushed out of the door, just happening to have enough time to get dressed.

They got to the middle of the school dueling grounds (Wake wanting more than anything to make this a big spectacle). Yuna came up and saw Wake standing there, saying "You ready to lose?"

"I don't know? Are you?"

"Not on your life, kid," Wake told him, and then they both said "Duel, Start!" Yuna dawned his Custom Duel Gazer, the frame of which is shaped like the head of a 'Blue Eyes White Dragon', over his right eye, while his left eye remained covered by his crimson tipped black bangs.

Their duel disks whirred to life, and with that, the duel started. "I'll go first," Yuna said, drawing a card and adding it to his hand. "Hmph. First, I'll play Monk Fighter in attack mode!"

(a white haired man in an orange monk robe appeared on the field. ATK: 1300, DEF: 1000)

"Try and get past his defenses," Yuna retorted as he placed two cards in his backrow, and signaled his turn's end.

"Oh, I will," Wake said as he drew from his sleeve (taking great care to make sure no one noticed). "First, I'll play Call of the Common! At the cost of 1000 life points, I can summon every copy of one level 4 or lower monster from my deck. And I choose my Black Stego!" Three stegosaurus-like monsters appeared on Wake's side of the field.

(ATK: 1200, DEF: 2000)

"So, you play three dinosaurs? They still have less attack than my Monk!"

"Alone, yes. Overlayed, not so much!" Wake began laughing, and set his three 'Stegos' on top of each other. "With this, I build the Overlay Network, and Xyz summon Gagagigo the Risen!" A giant lizard warrior, similar to a beefed up Gagagigo, appeared on Wake's side of the field.

(ATK: 2950, DEF: 2800)

"Now, Gagagigo, Attack his pathetic Monk!"

Yuna laughed at the older boy "That was your first mistake! And I'm certain it won't be your last! Any damage the Monk Fighter would take is always 0! You just wasted an attack!"

Monk Fighter braced himself, before vanishing.

"Draw!" Looking at the card in his hand, he saw his old grandpa's signature card. "Heh heh! I'll next play Ancient Rules, and special summon my favorite card! Come on up, Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

In a burst of light, the mighty dragon, known by everyone in the world, appeared.

(ATK: 3000, DEF: 2500)

This legendary card, that once served Seto Kaiba, now serves his dear grandson.

"Oh, no," Wake laughed sarcastically, "The useless hasbeen dragon! I'm shaking!"

"You should be!" Wake looked to Yuna in shock, "Because a light type monster was Special Summoned to the field, I can also special summon a personal favorite! Silver Divine: Priestess of Light!" A white clad girl in with short light blue hair, and a staff shaped like a spear, appears on the battlefield.

(ATK: 2400, DEF: 2100)

"And next, I play her special abilities. Since a monster was destroyed last turn, I can choose her type. And I'll switch her from a Spellcaster to a Warrior, just so I can equip Lightning Blade!"

(Priestess of Light grabs a giant blade covered in electricity. Current ATK: 3200)

"Now, she gains 800 attack, while all Water type monsters lose 500."

(Gagagigo's Current ATK: 2450)

"But the punishment doesn't end there! I next play shrink, to split your monsters attack in half!"

(Gagagigo shrinks to half it's normal size. Current ATK: 1225)

"Oh no!"

"Oh yes! Priestess of Light, destroy his lizard warrior!"

(The priestess cleaves through Gagagigo the Risen. Wake's LP: 1025)

"Blue Eyes! White Lightning!" Wake then draws a card out of his sleeve, and plays it. "Sakuretsu Armor negates your attack!"

(The Blue Eyes is destroyed, and everyone looking at Wake in shock.)

"See, Yuna," Janine yelled, "Wake is a cheater!"

"Yeah! After what I just saw, I could'a told ya that!" Everyone else started joining in, booing Wake for cheating, when he just laughed that same annoying laugh! "Big woop! So I cheated? I'll just sto-"

"Nah, you can keep cheating if you want. It won't change the fact that you're gonna lose."

* * *

With that, the two were dueling for real. "Fine then Yuna, if you want me to cheat, then get a look at this!" Wake threw down his Monster Reborn, and summoned back Yuna's very Blue Eyes.

"Aw damn," Yuna said, impressed by Wake's little move. Wake gave a smug grin, and said "Take a good look! Your favorite monster's gonna be an instrument to your downfall!"

"Pretty big words for someone with such a small brain!"

At this point, Yuna was just trying to lighten the situation. He saw something in Wake's eyes that he didn't like. He saw malevolence. Pure malevolence, to the point where Yuna almost called it evil.

"And now! I summon 8-Claws Scorpion."

(A giant green armored scorpion appears. ATK: 300, DEF: 200)

"Now, because your Blue Eyes is a Level 8 Light Type, and 8-Claws is a Level 2 Dark Type, I can send them both to the Graveyard, to Reaction Summon the Level 10 Arachne Dragon!"

(The Blue Eyes and the Scorpion turn into energy, and combine together to form a new monster. A giant black dragon with fangs like that of a spider, armor, and six wings, appears. ATK: 3500, DEF: 3500)

"HAHAHAHA! You have nothing in your deck that can stop my Arachne Dragon! Attack!"

(The giant dragon attacks the Priestess of Light, leaving Yuna defenseless.)

"I activate my Priestesses best ability! By discarding one card from my hand, I take no damage, and get back one of my monsters. I choose my Blue Eyes!"

The evil look in Wake's eyes simply went meaner "It doesn't matter if you summon back that hasbeen a thousand times! It still can't beat Arachne Dragon!"

"Oh, is that so? Well then, how about we raise the stakes on this bet," Yuna said, annoyed, "If I win, you have to give me your Arachne Dragon as well!"

This had Wake laughing like he had just heard the most hilarious joke in history, "Well then! I'll take a piece of that action! After all, that'll make it all the more satisfying when Arachne Dragon takes your life points!"

* * *

Wake wasn't lying about Arachne Dragon being powerful. Every card that Yuna played, it was completely useless against Arachne Dragon. Yuna was able to play some of his most powerful monsters, but they still weren't enough. Many of his greatest cards went to the grave. First his Silver Divines: Shodan Ryo and Sifu Kato, then his Mighty Dark Magician, and even his beloved Blue Eyes.

(Yuna's LP: 3500)

Wake had the most evil grin on his face, and with it, Yuna was genuinely scared. "What's the matter Yuna? Too afraid to even draw your card?" Yuna was shaking just slightly, as he noticed something amazing. There was an evil aura around him, and it had him shaking.

"Well too bad, because this will be your last move! Arachne dragon, attack!"

The giant dragon attacked Yuna directly, sending him flying. "NO!" Janine and Kano yelled in unison. This attack was just enough to take down Yuna, and that meant that he lost.

Or so they thought!

Yuna stood up, struggling and in pain, but still in the duel. Wake was shocked, especially when he looked at the D-Pad.

(Yuna's LP: 3500)

"WHAT!?" Wake was absolutely shocked to see that Yuna's Life Points. "How can this be!?"

Yuna stood up and looked at Wake, "A little something called Enchanted Javelin!" Wake was shaking just slightly, but not because of that strategy. Because of what he saw:

Yuna's left eye!

It's iris was pure white, and that was abnormal beyond anything he had ever seen.

"How!? I know you don't have that card!" Wake was flustered, barely believing that Yuna played a card he didn't have.

"Well then what do you call that?" Yuna sounded confident, far more than anything that they had heard out of him this entire duel. "You aren't as strong as you think, you cheater!" It was unknown to anyone what Yuna was doing. But then he said something they were not expecting.

"I will never lose to someone like you! I got the power to break anything that you can throw at me! This Arachne Dragon will be no different! Get set to get Decked, Wake, cause I'm FEELING THE FLOW!"

As Yuna drew his next card, an energy began to radiate from the boy's body. And as he looked at Wake with his left eye, it appeared to have changed color, going from a pure white to a deep red.

No one knew it, but this wasn't Yuna Kaiba anymore...

* * *

 **So here is the first chapter. And I figure I'll explain everything custom made in this chapter.**

 **First and foremost, the 'Reaction Summon'. Basically, it's similar to a tribute summon, only a bit more specific. You have to have 2 monsters who equal the same level as the Reaction Monster. They also have to have two specific Atrributes (Arachne Dragon for example took a Light Type monster and a Dark Type monster). It's called a Reaction Summon because the summoning parameters are an equation (based on how Isaac Newton said 'Every action has an equal and opposite reaction').**

 **Secondly, here's all the cards I made up in this chapter:**

 **Call of the Common (Trap): At the cost of 1000 life points, you can choose one card in your deck, and summon every copy of that card in face up Attack Position.**

 **Arachne Dragon (Dark, Level 10,Dragon/Reaction/Effect, ATK: 3500, DEF: 3500): 1 Light Type Monster and 1 Dark Type Monster. This card can not be destroyed by battle. Once per turn, you can negate the activation of a card that will destroy this card, by paying 500 life points. If there are no cards in your hand, destroy this card.**

 **Silver Divine: Priestess of Light (Light, Level 5, Spellcaster/Effect, ATK: 2400, DEF: 2100): When a Light Type monster is special summoned to the field, you can special summon this card from your hand. If a monster was destroyed the turn before you summoned this card, you can declare 1 Monster Type. This card will become that Monster Type for the remainder of the Duel. When this card is destroyed by a Monster with 3000 ATK or more, you can send 1 card to your graveyard. Negate the attack, and special summon 1 Normal Monster from your graveyard.**

 **Sliver Divine: Shodan Ryo (Earth, Level 4, Warrior/Effect, ATK: 1600, DEF: 2200): When this card is normal summoned successfully, you can special summon a Level 4 or lower 'Silver Divine' monster from your hand.**

 **Silver Divine: Sifu Kato (Earth, Level 4, Warrior/Effect, ATK: 1900, DEF: 1900): When this card is destroyed by battle, you can draw one card. If that card is a 'Silver Divine' card, you can special summon to the field.**

 **Lastly, the pairings that gave us the characters:**

 **Seto and Ishizu (Yuna's Grandparents)**

 **Yugi and Rebecca (Kano's Grandparents)**

 **Joey and Mai (Janine's Granparents)**

 **Yuma and Cat (the Parents of a character revealed later)**

* * *

 **So that's all. Next chapter, we find out the secrets of Yuna and his mysterious left eye.**


	2. Ep 2: 'Enter Yuna Kaiba' Part 2

Yuna's body stood there, holding the card way up in the air. His body awaited a command from whatever was controlling it. To the untrained eye, it looked like Yuna had just froze up. And unfortunately, everyone there had untrained eyes.

Yuna's body opened it's eyes once more, scanning it's surroundings. Looking around, it realized it was in a duel, and on it's left was someone unexpected. It was a translucent blue humanoid with blue hair and pointed ears. It was covered with green markings, and was wearing a pair of earrings. But what was the most unique about the creature was it's eyes. One white, one gold...

 _'Yuma'_ the creature spoke, putting its hand onto the human's face, _'Is that you?'_

The body of Yuna was fully aware, as it appears it was spiritually aware again as well. _"Astral?"_ it asked telepathically, _"Wait... Astral!? What the heck!? I thought me and my wife had... you know! Passed on! For that Spiritual Mission thingy!"_

 _"I do believe this is the spiritual mission, my friend. It seems that you are to be connected to this body until the mission is complete."_

 _"Aw man! I wish I could've KNOWN about this first!"_

 _"Observation 134: Yuma does not enjoy being unaware of what he has signed himself up for. I have a feeling that many humans are like this."_

 _"Well that's right on both parts, but I guess no use complaining about it now. We're gonna have to duel!"_

Anyone who could've heard this conversation would've known that while it may be the body of Yuna Kaiba...

This was the spirit of Yuma Tsukumo.

* * *

This new 'Yuma-Yuna' took a quick glance over at his hand, to find that he had cards unfamiliar to him. But despite being unfamiliar to him, they were useful, especially if he had his important cards. Looking in his extra deck, he saw only two cards, both of them Reaction Monsters. He knew what he needed to do:

 _"Astral, I'm gonna need two Numbers."_

 _"What do you have in mind?"_

 _"I think you know..."_

 _"Indeed."_

With a slight glow, two monsters appeared in the extra deck holder. With these cards, Yuma was ready. "Alrighty, Wake, be prepared to be left in the dust!" Yuma, being clueless to this new body's cards, so he made absolutely sure by checking his graveyard.

 _"WHOA! Astral,"_ Yuma practically squealed telepathically _"This kid has a Blue Eyes White Dragon!"_ Astral looked onto the D-Pad's screen to see Yuma was indeed correct.

 _"Interesting... as far to my knowledge, the only three copies of that card were all owned by Seto Kaiba. Why does some kid have it?"_

 _"Who cares? Let's bring it back! I'm gonna need a quick Number Switch!"_

 _"Very well,"_ Astral said, giving Yuma-Yuna something more useful for what he was planning.

"Hey Yuna," Wake said "You look a little frozen there. If you want to surrender, I wouldn't blame you!"

Yuma-Yuna looked over at him with a look of confidence, and said "Get real! Like I'm gonna give up now!"

Wake heard this, and was slightly shocked. _'This can't be,'_ Wake thought, _'No opponent I've ever faced lasted this long against Arachne Dragon and wanted to continue. What makes Yuna so different?'_

But of course Wake didn't know the truth, and that was starting to get to him. "It's my time, Wake, so prepare for an onslaught! I play my a special card, Silver's Cry! Now I can pick any Dragon Type Normal Monster in my grave, and special summon it!"

"So you're gonna bring back the worthless Blue Eyes, I assume..."

"Yeah! And I'm gonna teach you respect for it! My next card to play is Call of the Haunted, to special summon back Monk Fighter!"

(The Blue Eyes White Dragon and the Monk Fighter both return to the field. Blue Eyes ATK: 3000, Monk Fighter ATK: 1300)

"And next, I play Moon Envoy in Attack Mode!"

(A man wearing blue Samurai-esque armor, wielding a crescent pike, appears on the field. ATK: 1100, DEF: 1000)

Wake scoffed, "Big deal."

"Oh it's a very big deal! Because now, I play 'Pact of the Warriors'! At the affordable cost of 1000 life points, I can summon up two warrior type monsters from my deck, provided I can only use 'em this turn! And I choose Haybusa Knight and Gilford the Lightning!"

(Yuna's LP: 2500)

(A knight with the head of a falcon appears. ATK: 1000, Def: 700)

(An armored warrior with a giant electrified sword appears: ATK: 2800, DEF: 1400)

Wake stood there, baffled at what had gotten into the younger boy. _'What's happened to him? Just a few turns ago, all he could do was defend? He couldn't have gotten that good a draw!'_

And of course, Wake had no idea how wrong he was.

"And the fun doesn't stop there," Yuma-Yuna continued, "I overlay my Level 8 Blue Eyes with Gilford. With these I build the overlay network, and Xyz Summon Number 62: Galaxy Eyes Prime Photon Dragon! And at the same time, because Moon Envoy is a Level 4 Light Type, and Monk Fighter is a Level 3 Earth Type, I can tribute them, to Reaction Summon 'Silver Divine: Crescent Pikeman'!"

(An armored version of the Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon appears. ATK: 4000, DEF: 3000)

(A warrior in silver Samurai-esque armor, wielding a gold bladed Crescent Pike, appears. ATK: 3100, DEF: 2700)

Wake stood there in amazement. "Wow, Yuna! I never would've figured you of all people would have a 'Number' Card."

Yuma-Yuna smirked, "There's a lot to not be expected about me! Up next, I use one of Crescent Pikeman's special abilities. Now since it was Reaction Summoned successfully, I get to summon back one of the Reaction Materials in Attack Mode. And once again, I choose Monk Fighter!"

(Monk Fighter returns. He and Hayabusa Knight nod at each other.)

"And next, I overlay him with Hayabusa Knight! With these, I Xyz Summon Number 20: Giga Brilliant!"

(A creature similar to a giant armored ant appears on the field. ATK: 1800, DEF: 1800)

"This is all I need to win," Yuma-Yuna said. To which Wake started to laugh at. "Eh? Did I miss something, Wake?"

"Heh heh! You moron! There ain't no way you can beat my Arachne Dragon, even with those cards! He can't be destroyed by battle, so as long as I have him, I'm invincible!"

Wake was laughing at his certain victory, when Yuma-Yuna laughed back. "What's got you laughing, little man?"

Waiting for his own laughter to die down, Yuma-Yuna told him, "If that's what you think, then you're dumber than you look!" Wake was taken aback when he heard that, so Yuma-Yuna elaborated, "Being unable to be destroyed by battle is far different from being invincible! If my monster can still attack, you'll still take battle damage! And my monsters have more than enough firepower to do so!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about my monster's abilities! First, Crescent Pikeman gains 300 Attack Points for every Silver Divine in the grave! And if memory serves, there are three!" Suddenly, three balls of energy come out of the ground, only to come to the Pikeman's Spear's blade, and cause it to glow white.

(Crescent Pikeman's ATK: 4000)

"And next, I'll remove one overlay unit from Giga Brilliant, to increase all of my monsters attack by 300!"

(Number 62's ATK: 4300. Crescent Pikeman's ATK: 4300. Number 20's ATK: 2100)

"You're biggest mistake was over-relying on Arachne Dragon, and that's why I've won! Now, Crescent Pikeman! Attack! Galaxy Eyes, you do the same!"

Crescent Pikeman stabs Arachne Dragon straight through the chest. Immediately afterword, Galaxy Eyes shoots a beam of energy. Arachne Dragon cracks apart, and is ultimately destroyed, sending Wake flying.

(Wake's LP: 0)

"And that's all she wrote!"

* * *

With that, Yuma-Yuna put back his cards, and offered Wake his hand. He took it, and got back to his feet. "Man," Wake said, "There's something off about you, Yuna. You let me cheat, and then you act like a totally different person in the latter half o' this duel."

"Call it a different mindset," Yuma-Yuna said, "But in the end, I won against you, and it was a great duel."

"Yeah," Wake told him, "And a deal's a deal." He took out his Arachne Dragon, and said "Take it. You earned it." Yuma-Yuna looked at the face of his opponent, searching it for dishonesty. He found none, as well as none of the malevolence he saw on the Wake's face. He saw only a arrogant duelist who learned his lesson, and as such, graciously accepted the card.

"We should duel again," Wake said, walking away, "Only next time, just for fun. And next time, I promise you I won't cheat."

"That's what I like to hear."

Without warning, Yuma-Yuna was jumped by Janine, who came over and gave him a big hug. "You did it," she said, "I knew you could!"

"Thanks... now, can you let me breathe!?"

Janine didn't realize that she was hugging so hard that she was pretty much suffocating him. Once she put him down, she just patted him on the back. Once again, she unknowingly hit him so hard, he fell to the ground. If there was anything that Janine inherited from her grandpa beside his cards, it was his ridiculous strength.

"Heh heh... sorry."

Kano came over, and saw his friend get up. His bangs fell beck in front of his left eye, only this time, they got the slightest glance of his left eye. It was pure white, instead of the deep red it was during the duel. No one knew it, but Yuna was Yuna again.

"Damn, Yuna," Kano said, "That was crazy! I didn't know you had Number Cards."

"... Numbers? I don't have any numbers."

"Oh, don't pull that with us," Janine said, "We just saw it. Don't you remember?"

Yuna nodded his head in confusion. "No... the last thing I remember was activating Enchanted Javelin. Afterword, everything got all hazy, and I thought I'd passed out."

Kano and Janine shared the same look of confusion. "Uh, well, I don't know what happened," Kano told him, "But I do know that I saw you play two Number Cards."

"Guys, I don't have Numbers," he said, pulling his card holder off his side, "Here, you can even check my Extra Deck if it'll prove it to you." Janine checked through the cards, she held up two, and smirked. "What d'ya call these then?"

Yuna looked at the cards, unable to believe what he saw. They were indeed Number Cards. But they most certainly were not his. "Guys," he said, continuing to defend his case, "I don't know where these came from. They aren't mine..."

"Well," Janine said, "They're in your Extra Deck, so that makes 'em yours." Kano nodded, and added "But seriously, you don't know where they came from?"

"No..."

"Well, that's another weird thing then, because in the battle, your left eye was red."

Yuna looked embarrassed, "You saw my left eye?" His left eye had always gotten him picked on for being weird, so he hid it. "... Wait, what? It was red? Impossible!"

"Is it, Yuna? Really?" Janine was very skeptical, up until Yuna slowly lifted his bangs. He was right.

* * *

Later that same day, the three friends were back at their dorm, discussing what happened earlier. Within hours of the duel, there were people talking about Yuna. They weren't the only ones who noticed his eye, or his odd mannerisms during the duel.

People said he didn't seem like the Yuna they knew. He seemed energetic, and for Yuna Kaiba, that was the last word that usually described him. And they heard him say 'Feel the Flow' and 'Get set to get Decked'. The famous catchphrases of one Duelist in particular...

"C'mon Yuna," Janine said, "We know what we saw. Your eye was red. And plus you were acting really different out there."

Yuna looked down, trying his hardest to comprehend what happened earlier. After Arachne Dragon's attack, he blacked out. But when we woke up, he had won the duel, and was holding the Arachne Dragon card.

 _'It was odd, because at the same time as I blacked out, I could faintly make out my own vision. I could vaguely see every move that was being made, but I wasn't the one making them. It's almost as if... someone else was in control...'_

RINGRING!RINGRING!

"Whoa!" Kano said, "Dinner bell! Guess we should get going!"

"You guys go on ahead," Yuna told the two, "I'll catch up." The two others agreed, and left quickly. It was clear to them that Yuna wanted a little time to himself. As soon as they left, Yuna went into the bathroom, and looked at himself in the mirror.

Everything about him looked the same as it always did. His skin was the same light tan (being 1/4 Egyptian somehow made him born with a great looking tan. Not too light, but definitely not too dark), with the same black hair, his bangs tipped with the same crimson color. Moving his bangs out of the way of his eye once more, he looked at his left eye. For some reason, he was getting paranoid about it.

Looking at them, Yuna saw the heterochromatic eyes he's had since birth.

Finally able to relax, he walked out, plopped down on his bed, and started messing with his phone. It only took a moment to see he got a text. It was from his friend Weevil Crawler.

'Saw ur Duel earlier. That was really cool.'

Yuna was happy. Weevil wasn't exactly a particularly close friend, but he was most certainly the friend that Yuna could rely on to NOT bombard him with questions. And right now, he most certainly didn't want to talk about it too much.

So he texted back, 'Thnx. Not to mention I won his best card.' But as Yuna sent the boy this message, he began to feel drowsy.

'That too,' Weevil wrote back. 'Hope u make good use of it.'

Yuna read the text, his eyelids beginning to feel heavy. He didn't want to go to sleep, but something was forcing him to. As he closed his eyes, his phone fell to the ground, and Yuna slept. It was only a few seconds later that he awoke once more, his left eye once again that same deep red.

Yuma was once again in control. And he had stuff he wanted to do. Astral appeared right next to him, and told him, _"Good to see your back in control."_

* * *

Yuma-Yuna got up quickly and said, "You told me I could talk to my wife, right? Where do I have to go."

 _"Follow me, Yuma. We only have a few minutes to get there."_

And so, Yuma-Yuna ran out of the dorm. He didn't know where Astral was leading him to, but he knew he was keeping up effortlessly. _'Well, at least this new body is athletic.'_

Within only a few minutes of leaving, Astral had lead him to the beach, showing him to a small cave. Surveying his surroundings, Yuma-Yuna had to ask, "Is this where Cat is?".

 _"Right behind you,"_ Astral told him. Taking a look deeper in the cave, he saw a faint light. Once it faded, he saw her. His wife, Cathy Tsukumo. Her grey hair was cut short, and had hints of a lighter grey. Her eyes were green, almost the same shade as Yuna's right eye, and her skin was fair. In this form, she was wearing the same outfit she had on when she died (a blue tank top, and jeans, being barefoot). To Yuma, she looked perfect, and he was very happy to see her.

"Yuma," she said, her voice hopeful, "Is that you?"

"Yep," he said, moving his bangs to reveal his deep red eye. "It's me." The moment Cat saw that deep red iris, she knew it was him. Coming over and attempting to hug him, she found she just fazed right through him. It saddened her, to find that she couldn't even touch him, but Yuma himself was just happy to see her.

"Cat," Yuma said, "You know you didn't have to join me in this. We could've been able to see each other in the physical wor-"

"I know Yuma," she told him softly, "But I didn't want you to go into this alone. Any problem that's yours is mine as well." Yuma knew this. It brought back good memories. He remembered much of what happened after he and Astral had reunited.

A while after he turned 15, he had first asked Cat out. By the time that they were 19, he had proposed to her, and by the time they were 22, they were expecting a kid. All of these good memories culminated in his head, only to be broken by the most recent bad memory.

Astral informing them of the 'Spiritual Mission', and telling them they must leave immediately.

 _'No way, Astral,'_ Yuma remembered telling him _'I have a daughter I have to worry about!'_ He didn't exactly remember how Astral talked him into it, but he did. A 30 year old man had been outsmarted by a spirit who didn't look to be past his teenage years. And now, Yuma was no longer in his own body.

He was stuck being this 'Yuma-Yuna'.

He wanted to break down, but he didn't, because of what Cat said. "Yuma! Don't regret this. We both knew it had to be done." Hearing this from his wife, who had originally been against the idea, had him reinvigorated in an instant.

"I know you can do this. Just promise me one thing Yuma," Cat continued. And of course, he said, "Anything."

"Promise me you and Astral will work your hardest, and stop this problem as soon as you can."

Yuma wanted more than anything, just to make her happy. He had fell for her in the first place because of what he saw when she was happy. Once she had become good friends with him, she had started to grow, and go from her shy self to a... slightly more confident self, and it started his attraction to her.

From that day on, he promised he'd do everything in his power to make her happy...

"I promise," Yuma-Yuna told her, confidence exuberating from his voice, "We'll be back home with our daughter in no time!"

Cathy smiled at the form that now housed her husband. Desiring to feel his embrace for what will be the last time in a while, she attempted to give him another hug. Only this time, it worked.

The two stood there, enjoying each other's embrace, until Astral noticed the setting sun. _"I'm afraid that is our cue to leave, Yuma."_

Yuma-Yuna nodded, but before leaving, gave Cathy a final kiss on the forehead, and whispered, "We'll be back together soon." With that, Cathy faded, and Yuma-Yuna exited the cave. Before he ran back, he whispered, "At least I hope it's soon."

 _"Do not worry Yuma,"_ Astral eased his friend's stress, _"Even if it takes a while, Nash retrieved your bodies today. He will keep them until the mission is over, as promised."_ And as the two returned to the dorm, Astral told him _"Everything will work out in the end."_

 _"I seriously hope you're right, Astral."_

 _"Do not worry Yuma, we have nothing to worry about. But remember, we cannot show ourselves to Yuna until we are sure he can handle it."_

Once back at the Dorm, Yuna was back in control, and was left to deal with figuring out how he got outside.

* * *

 **And there you have it. This had been Episode 1 of 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Spirits of the Past'. Sorry the first episode is split into 2 chapters. I'm not doing that on every epsiode, I just needed to get a feel for writing more than 1,000-2,000 words per chapter. In fact, next chapter, I am going to attempt to put at least 7,000 words. Though I kinda wanna go 8,000-10,000 per episode. Oh well. I'll figure it out.**

 **And I'm also starting off serious, as a way of recapturing the first series. Because in that, not 5 episodes in, and Yugi's already got a serious goal. That's what I liked about that series, and I'm emulating it with Yuna and this whole 'Spiritual Mission' thing.**

 **Anyway, here's the custom cards made up in this chapter:**

 **Silver Divine: Crescent Pikeman (LIGHT, Level 7, Warrior/Reaction/Effect, ATK: 3100, DEF: 2700): 1 Light Type Monster and 1 Earth Type Monster. When this card is successfully Reaction Summoned, you can special summon one of the monsters used for the summon in Face up Attack Position. For every 'Silver Divine' monster in the graveyard, this card gains 300 ATK and DEF.**

 **Pact of the Warriors (SPELL): By paying 1000 life points, you may special summon any 2 Warrior type monsters from your deck. When this turn ends, send both monsters to the graveyard.**

 **And lastly, if anyone's wondering about Weevil Crawler, he is the grandson of Weevil Underwood, he is going to be a good guy, and he is going to duel next episode. Until I have his full design, just imagine Weevil Underwood without the creepy smiles or annoying voice or evilness.**

* * *

 **Next episode, we see another new duelist. Though next time, it isn't Yuna.**


	3. Ep 3: Friends Duel Together

It had been only a single day since Yuna's duel. No one gave him a break on the fact of how different he was acting during the latter half of the duel. The only few he could trust to not annoy him with a bunch of questions were his friends.

Speaking of his friends, he was currently at the ice cream parlor outside of the school. It had been a long while since he had ice cream, mainly because he himself wasn't a big fan of sweets. But after the day he's had, he deserved a bit of a break.

Kano, who was right next to him, asked Janine "Seriously, how is it you eat this stuff and you're still thin?"

Janine laughed and said "Advantage to being a big ball of energy."

Yuna barely paid much attention after that, thinking about how sucky a day he's had. It started off good, him having a dream about flying around on his Blue Eyes the night before, but only a few moments after leaving the dorm, he was constantly bombarded with an unending stream of questions.

And if that's not bad enough, everyone wanted to duel him for these 'Numbers' he had. Under normal situations, he would have dueled all of them, but they just wanted the 'Numbers', and that's what pissed him off.

 _'I don't even know where they came from, but now I'm a target!'_

He was still completely unaware of what happeed a day prior. All he knew was that he blacked out twice in the same day. Though the second time, he was completely asleep, unable to see anything, but knowing his body was in motion.

Except he wasn't the one in control...

"Oh, so you think YOU can beat us in a duel?" Yuna heard from a distance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something, so he instructed his friends to walk over with him.

They came to see Yuna's friend Weevil Crawler being picked on by Wake's lackeys. Weevil Crawler looked like a carbon copy of what his grandpa, Weevil Underwood, looked like during the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. Well, minus the creepy smiles and annoying voice.

He stood 5'3, and wore a button shirt with a tie, black slacks, work shoes, and little round glasses on his face. In short, your stereotypical nerd.

"Yes I do," Weevil said, "So if you are challenging me, then let's go!" Wake's lackeys both laughed at each other. "In case you haven't noticed, bug boy, there are two of us, and only one of you!"

"Not necessarily," Yuna said, getting the lackeys' attention. "Oh look," the shorter of the two said, "It's the Dork Brotherhood."

"What was that," Janine asked, annoyed by that comment. Yuna held her back, and said "What's going on here?"

"Bug boy over here," they said, obviously referring to Weevil (who definitely got the love of bugs from his grandpa), "Thinks he can beat both of us. So we're calling him out. And if he loses, we get his deck!"

"Alone," Kano cut in, "Are you crazy?" His tone of voice showed concern for Weevil. He knew the boy, and he was nothing like what people said his grandpa was like.

"What choice have I? I don't think any other duelists have their stuff on them at the moment."

It was true. Yuna had left his Duel Disk at home, and Janine had left hers, planning on dueling later in the day...

"I do," Kano told him, taking his D-Pad out of his bag. "I'll help you."

"HAHAHAHA! The worst duelist in the school is gonna help Bug Boy?" Wake's lackeys both were hysterical about this. They didn't even notice that Weevil had accepted Kano's help. Until of course he said, "Alright. So then it's a double duel!"

The two lackey's looked at Weevil in shock. As far to anyone's knowledge, Kano had no real dueling skills, as well as one of the most difficult to use dueling decks.

"Well," the taller of the two lackeys said, "If you both wanna lose your decks, then go ahead! We're Red and Blue, and we're gonna beat you into the ground!"

Weevil and Kano nodded at eachother, and Kano said "Well we're Kano and Weevil, and we'll stand up to anything you got! Duel, Start!"

* * *

With that, the augmented reality system started up, and they all put on their Duel Gazers. Their Duel Disks all whirred alive, and the duel began.

"Since I challenged you," Weevil said, "I'll go first." He drew one card from his deck, and took a quick glance at his hand. _'Not bad for a first hand,'_ he thought, before saying "And I'll start by setting three cards face down."

Two cards appeared in his trap card zone, and one in his monster zone. "That'll do it for me. Over to you, Kano!"

"Right! I draw!" One look at his hand, Kano had an idea of what he could do. "First, because I control no monsters, I can special summon Small Candy Golem. Next, I play Gummi Archer in attack mode. And because of his effect, I get to draw a crad for summoning him."

(A small golem made of rock candy appears on the battlefield. ATK: 0, DEF: 1200)

(A small man wielding a bow with arrows made of gummi appears as well. ATK: 1200, DEF: 1400)

 _'Well,'_ Weevil thought, _'I can see why everyone thinks Kano's so bad. A Gummi/Candy deck is really hard to use.'_

"Next I'll play a face down, and end my turn." With that, Kano and Weevil gave the floor to their opponents. In only a few moments, people had started to gather around. Wake was of course a part of this crowd. And he was standing right next to Yuna and Janine.

"Dang," Wake said, "Why would Kano play a monster with 0 attack points? He's just asking to get attacked." Yuna, who helped Kano design his deck, whispered to the taller guy, "Exactly."

Back on the field, Red, the taller of the two lackeys, drew a card. "First, I'll play Heavy Knight of the Flame in attack mode."

(A large armored warrior on a horse, wielding a flame lance, appears. ATK: 1800, DEF: 200)

"And next, I play Double Summon, to normal summon a second Heavy Knight. Now, Heavy Knight #1, attack Kano's weak little golem!"

(The heavy knight goes in to attack.)

"Oh no," a watcher said, "That Kano kid's gonna get creamed!" Yuna chuckled at this, and the guy looked at him. "What, you don't care?"

Yuna chuckled again, and told the guy, "This is exactly what Kano wants him to do. Watch closely."

(the attack lands, and Small Candy Golem is destroyed. Kano's LP: 4000)

"Huh? What's the big deal," Red yelled at Kano, "Why didn't you take no damage?"

"Because of Small Candy Golem's effect! Because it was in attack mode when you targeted it, it automatically switches to defense mode! And now because it was destroyed, I can special summon the normal Candy Golem to the field in defense mode!"

(a Golem made of rock candy, standing at least 6 feet tall, appears. ATK: 1000, DEF: 2000)

Red laughed, "So you got a bigger pile of rock candy! That just means I'll attack your other monster!"

"Not if I can help it," Weevil says, "I play Negate Attack, to prevent you from destroying his monster." Red growled, obviously annoyed at Weevil using that trap card to help Kano. "You knew the effect of my golem, didn't you?" Kano asked, "That's why you waited to play Negate Attack."

Weevil gave a light smirk, "I try to always be one step ahead of everyone else. It runs in the family." The two boys got a chuckle out of this, and Kano told his teammate, "Well, thanks. I owe you one."

Blue, the shorter of the two boys yelled, "Are you gonna duel or talk!?"

"It's your turn, genius!" Weevil retorted. Blue simply drew his card, and gave an evil smirk. "Fine then! I'll play Mermail Abysslung, and then play Double Summon as well! Now I summon Hydrogeddon!"

(An armored merman wielding two shields appears. ATK: 1200, DEF: 1800)

(A dinosaur made of pure water appears. ATK: 1600, DEF: 1000)

"And next, I equip Mist Body to Mermail Abysslung!"

(A veil of mist covers Abysslung.)

"Now, Hydrogeddon attacks! And because of Mermail Abysslung, all of my water type monsters get 300 attack points! Now go, Hydrogeddon! Attack bug boy's face down!"

(Hydrogeddon attacks. The face down, revealed to be Man-Eater Bug, is destroyed.)

"Bad move," Weevil chuckled, "Because Man-Eater Bug was flipped up for that attack to hit, it's effect is still resolved. Now I can destroy any monster on the field. And I'll go with Abysslung!"

"No matter! Because Hydrogeddon destroyed a monster, I can special summon another one straight from my deck! Now Hydrogeddon 2, attack!"

(The second Hydrogeddon attacks Weevil directly.)

Kano turned to his teammate, asking "You okay?"

Weevil quickly rose to his feet, and said "Fine thanks to this. The trap card Waboku!" His second face down rose to reveal it to be the exact card he said it was. All Kano could say was, "Noice!"

 _'Waboku, eh,'_ Yuna thought, _'Man, Weevil's a much better duelist than he lets on.'_ Yuna knew this much was true. A few weeks ago, he went through his dueling archives, and watched many of Weevil Underwood's old matches. Underwood seemed to use underhanded tactics and mind games to win. Yuna was glad that was one thing that didn't remain in the family dueling style.

Yuna watched the duel contently, thinking to himself _'I wonder if he'll get to use that special card I gave him'_. He remembered back to that day.

* * *

 _"You really think these Gummi cards will work with my Candy Monsters?" Kano asked. Yuna responded with "Absolutely. Especially with your extra deck."_

 _"Alright. But I'm still a little unsure."_

 _Yuna could see it on Kano's face. He was feeling a bit apprehensive toward dueling with these cards. Seeing this, Yuna went into his extra deck holder, and pulled out a card. "Here," he said, "This might be able to help."_

 _Kano looked at the card, a bit confused. "I don't think I've ever seen this card before..."_

 _"That's because it's experimental right now. My dad told me the company is considering not even releasing this card to the general public. That right there is one of only four that are completed, and usable with the duel disks."_

 _Kano was shocked, "And your GIVING it to me?"_

 _"Yeah man. You'd get a lot more use out of it than me. And frankly, I perfer the monster is was based off of more."_

* * *

"Whoa," Yuna heard Janine yell, breaking him from his train of thought. "What'd I miss," he asked, to which Janine responded "Kano's golem got wrecked!"

Looking onto the battlefield, he saw that 'Candy Golem' had been destroyed by Red's newest monster, 'Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos', and that Weevil had his 'Cocoon of Evolution' on the field. No doubt wanting to get his 'Great Moth' on the field. He must've missed a lot, because Kano had two more face downs.

Red laughed at the Kano, not even noticing his life points are unchanged. When he did, he whined "Aw! Again!?"

"Again," Kano replied. "And this time, because it was destroyed by battle, I get to special summon Big Candy Golem in attack mode!"

(A golem, standing at least 8 feet tall, made of rock candy, appears. ATK: 2000, DEF: 2800)

Red just growled, annoyed at this. "Turn end," he said, and Blue took over. "I draw! And I tribute both of my Hydrogeddon to summon Gogiga Gagagigo!"

(A giant red lizard man with cybernetic body parts appears. ATK: 2950, DEF: 2800)

"Now, attack bug boy's cocoon!" The creature does as its master commands, and attempts to attack it.

"Not so fast," Weevil tells him, "I play one of my favorite traps! Spellbinding Circle!" With this, Gogiga Gagagigo is stopped dead in it's tracks, and is taken back to it's position in front of Blue.

"Fine then," Blue yells, "Then I'll destroy you next turn, with this!" Weevil stood in shock at Blue's next move. He plays a face down card, which reveals itself to be 'Dark Hole'.

In the crowd, Yuna and Janine stood there, their eyes glued to the duel. That was until they heard Wake say, "I was afraid this would happen."

"Afraid what would happen," Janine asked. Wake sighed, saying "These two cheat just as much as I did. I saw Blue pull 'Dark Hole' out of his sleeve. Your friends are doomed." Yuna was unable to believe this. _'I can't just let Kano lose to these cheaters,'_ he thought, _'There has to be something I can do!'_

At that same moment, Yuna felt a horrible pain in his head, and his eye hurt like someone had stabbed him in it. He began to feel lightheaded, but before he succumbed, he could've sworn he heard someone say _'I won't let this stand!'_

* * *

Back on the battlefield, Blue was laughing, telling the two of them, "Now everything you two worked for is gone!"

Kano stood there, then fell to his knees. _'No! My whole strategy is ruined! We're gonna lose!'_ Right now, he genuinely lost all hope that he could win. His strategy for this duel was dependant on Big Candy Golem, and now it was gone. _'It's hopeless...'_

"Kano!" He heard from the crowd. The voice was that of a guy. It was deep and strong, similar to what he remembered his Grandpa Yugi's voice was like. Looking over to the side to find the owner of the voice, one figure stood out.

Yuna.

He looked almost the same as he normally did, only his left eye was uncovered. And once again, it was a different color. The normally white iris was now a deep amethyst...

"Don't you dare give up, Kano," Yuna told him, his voice being the deep voice he had heard, "You can still win this!" Something about Yuna's words were making him feel better. It reminded him of how his grandpa used to encourage him when he was teaching him Duel Monsters...

"But how," Kano said, "My entire strategy was dependent on that card!"

"Then get a new strategy! You still have cards in your deck and life points to your name! You can pull through! I know you can!"

Kano looked at him, starting to feel his vigor being revitalized. Yuna seemed to remind him of his Grandpa, in the sense of how he was trying to encourge him. Getting back on his feet, he looked to Yuna one last time. Yuna told him, "You got this. Just have faith in the Heart of the Cards!"

Kano was awestruck. 'Heart of the Cards' was exactly what his Grandpa Yugi had always told him. Whenever he was losing, it always came through for him. He could only hope now was no different. Back to his feet, Kano looked over to Weevil, and said "We're not done yet. Let's show 'em what we got."

Weevil nodded, and drew a card. And he smiled, thinking _'Cards, you never let me down.'_ He then played the card, saying "Activate Cost Down! By discarding this card, I can decrease the level of all monsters in my hand by two! And now, I play Call of the Haunted to bring back my Petit Moth, and then tribute him to summon Insect Queen! But that's not all, I next play Ancient Rules, to play my favorite card! Come on up, Metal Armored Bug!"

(A giant spider-like creature with a humanoid face appears. ATK: 2200, DEF: 2400)

(A giant bug-like monster covered in steel armor appears. ATK: 2800, DEF: 1500)

"But that doesn't end it, because I play Graceful Charity!" Drawing his three cards, Weevil had the perfect plan. He sent two cards to the grave and said, "And to end it, I play Monster Reborn! To summon the monster I just sent away! My only non-bug monster, Tri-Horned Dragon!"

(A massive dragon with three horns coming out of its head appears. ATK: 2850, DEF: 2350)

"And with that, I end my turn," Weevil said. On the inside, he was thinking, _'I have to be absolutely sure of that face down on Red's side of the field.'_

It was now Kano's turn, and when he reached for his card, he took a deep breath, and thought _'Heart of the Cards, don't fail me now.'_ As he drew, he saw the one card he needed to win it all. "Alright!" Kano exclaimed, "It's time! I play my Monster Reborn, to return Big Candy Golem to the field. And at the same time, because I special summoned a 'Candy' monster back to the field, I can also special summon Candy Mage!"

(A small girl, wielding a staff made of chocolate, appears. ATK: 1100, DEF: 1300.)

"And now, I can actually go back to my old strategy, while also employing a new one! Because when Candy Mage is special summoned, I can summon two monsters, one from my deck, one from my grave, provided they have less than 1500 attack points! So I choose Gummi Archer and Proto Cyber Dragon!"

(the two monsters join the field.)

"And then I'll tribute my Gummi Archer for this! Gummi Brawler!"

(A shaggy haired boxer with gloves made of Gummi appears. ATK: 2000, DEF: 2000)

"And I'm far from done!" Kano said, his voice showing he had regained confidence, "I tune my Candy Mage and Big Candy Golem to Synchro Summon Candy Colossus!"

(A giant golem made of rock candy, standing at least 12 feet tall, and wearing armor made of chocolate, appears. ATK: 3000, DEF: 3600)

"And last, but not least, I tribute Gummi Brawler and Proto Cyber Dragon! Because Proto is a Level 3 Light Type, and Gummi Brawler is a Level 5 Water Type, I can reaction summon this!"

In the crowd, Yuna (who was normal once more) was looking at Kano, thinking _'Is this going to be the card I think it is?'_ And as he saw the card that Kano pulled out of his extra deck holder, he knew it was.

"Say hello to the Candy Eyes Gummi Dragon!"

(A creature similar to the Blue Eyes White Dragon, made of red Gummi, with purple teeth, claws, and eyes, appeared. ATK: 3000, DEF: 2500)

 _'Aw dayum!'_ Yuna thought happily, _'There's the card I gave him. Now he's sure to win!'_

* * *

Red and Blue both looked in shock at the dragon, and then began to laugh! "That is the dumbest thing I've ever seen," Red said. Blue added to the insults by saying, "I didn't think your deck could get ANY stupider!" Upon hearing these insults, Kano just smirked, and said "Well, you'd be surprised the power this guy holds!"

The two just looked at him, and just continued to snicker. "Laugh while you can," Kano told them, "Because now, I attack Red with Candy Eyes Gummi Dragon!" Red looks at his d-pad, and sees the creature's attack points.

(Candy Eyes Gummi Dragon ATK: 4800)

"WHAT!? HOW!?"

Kano laughed at Red, and told him "Gummi Dragon's got some powerful effects. Not only is he immune to spells and traps for two turns after he's summoned, but he gains 300 attack points for every Gummi or Candy monster in the grave!"

That had Red shaking in his boots. Until of course he remembers his face down. "Activate Negate Attack!" Kano laughed at this move, and activated a card of his own. Once Red saw what card he had played, his eyes widened.

"Counter Counter!? NO!"

In a flash of light, Negate Attack was destroyed, and Candy Eyes Gummi Dragon continued it's attack. It shot a beam of purple energy out of its mouth, that hit Red directly.

(Red's LP: 0)

"Kano," Weevil called to his teammate, "Remember. My cards are your cards." Kano smiled, and said, "In that case, I'll use Candy Colossus' effect. By tributing one monster on the field, Candy Colossus get's half of it's attack until the end of the turn! And I choose Weevil's Metal Armored Bug!"

(Metal Armored Bug becomes an orb of light that enters Candy Colossus. Candy Colossus ATK: 4400)

"Now, Candy Colossus, destroy Blue!"

"No, please! Have mercy!"

"You and Red started this war! Now I'm finishing it!"

(Candy Colossus throws a massive punch that sends Blue flying. Blue's LP: 0)

* * *

With that duel now won, Kano and Weevil high fived, and started to walk towards their friends. The crowd (Wake included) had begun to walk away, several of them still amazed at what they just witnessed. As Kano and Weevil rejoined with Janine and Yuna, the first thing Janine said was "Damn, Kano! Where were those skills this whole time?"

Kano shrugged and said "Good fortune, I guess. But I really owe it to Yuna. I was going to give up, but he set me straight."

"I did," Yuna asked, confused. He remembered doing no such thing. He just remembered wanting to help Kano, and then feeling hazy. When it passed, Kano was at the top of his game again.

"Did you black out again," Janine asked him. She had begun calling it 'blacking out', whenever he was doing stuff he was unaware of.

"I wouldn't doubt it."

"Yeah," Kano joined in the conversation, "But if he did, it wasn't like yesterday. Today, he gave me advice. And for a moment there, his advice reminded me of my grandpa..."

This was the strangest thing Yuna had heard all day. Yugi Muto was dead, and Yuna had never met the man. The only real thing Yuna knew about him was of his dueling career, which he followed with extreme interest. _'The fact that I gave him advice akin to his Grandpa's is just coincidental... right?'_

RINGRINGRINGRING!

At the sound of this ringing, Janine pulled out her phone, to see she had gotten an alert. "Aw, man," she said, "Gramps needs me to help him move some stuff. Alright, I'll see ya guys later."

Weevil looked at his watch and said "Oh dang! I gotta get going too! I almost forgot I'm going to see a movie tonight. See ya later! Bye!"

Kano said, "After that duel, I'm kinda hungry. I'm gonna go get some fried chicken. You want some?" Yuna shook his head no, and Kano walked away.

This meant Yuna was alone.

With no one to talk to, Yuna decided his best bet was to just go back to the dorm room and relax there. After all, he didn't want to 'black out' again. Heading back that way, he started to daydream. Though not of his own free will. His daydreams were involving two duelists.

* * *

 _"Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi," the young brunette man said._

 _"My grandpa's deck has no pathetic cards Kaiba," his opponent retorted, "But it does contain... the unstoppable Exodia!"_

 _Kaiba looked at him in shock "Impossible!"_

 _"I've assembled all five special cards! All five pieces of the puzzle!"_

 _With that, the legendary creature appeared, causing Kaiba to steb back. "Exodia," he said, "It can't be! No one's ever been able to summon him before!"_

 _"Exodia... obliterate!"_

* * *

CRASH!

In the real world, Yuna had noticed nothing. His body continued toward the academy, and he had been lucky enough to not bump into anyone... until now of course. He snapped out of it, noticing just who he had knocked down.

It was a little girl, probably about 5'2, dressed in a red sweater, with a dark blue shorts. She had bluesh hair worn short, with a red streak running through the bangs covering her left ear, and a grey streak running through a bang that covered her right eye just slightly. She opened her eyes, which were a deep green, and looked directly at Yuna.

"Watch where you're going," she told him. She didn't exactly say it meanly, but she did show she was slightly annoyed by being knocked down. "Sorry," Yuna told her, "Just... lost in thought, I guess."

The girl got back up to her feet, saying "Well, next time, think about walking." There was no harshness, in her voice. In fact, the way she was giggling at what she just said, made Yuna realize it was a joke. He gave a light chuckle, and said "Noted. By the way... I'm Yuna Kaiba."

"Tora Tsukumo," she said, offering her hand. They shook, and she asked him "Are you by any chance a student here?"

Yuna looked at her, confused, until he noticed they were directly outside of the Academy. "Yeah," he said, "My grandpa signed me up, and I don't have to pay any tuition."

"Really," she asked. "How'd you pull that off?"

"Well, when your grandpa opened the school, that's one of the privileges you get."

Tora giggled at this, and said, "Well you're pretty lucky. My parents payed a year in advance though, so I guess I am too."

"Wait, you're going to this school? How's that possible? You don't look any older than 10."

Tora looked at Yuna and smiled, saying "I'm actually 8. But don't let that fool you. You could say I'm your average child genius, as well as a Dueling prodigy. I start this Monday."

"Oh wow," Yuna muttered, still a little off. He was focused, but his mind continued to drift back to the flashback. Then the girl looked at him and asked "Maybe we'll see each other." Yuna came back into focus, and said, "Maybe." Suddenly, a blue car came, and pulled up to Yuna and Tora, opening it's door to reveal a redheaded woman.

"Oh," she said, "That's my aunt. Well, if we do see each other, we should totally Duel!"

And with that, the car sped off, leaving Yuna back to what he was going to do. Once on campus, Yuna walked liesurely back to the dorm, his mind going back to that flashback.

Once he had gotten inside, his phone suddenly started vibrating. Taking it out of his pocket, he saw he was getting a videochat request from his grandpa. Instantly, he hit the 'accept' button.

Seto Kaiba's face came on the screen. He was currently a man of 83, but his face had very few wrinkles. If it weren't for the white hair and beard, he could easily pass for a man in his early 60s. And one more thing that happened to change was that he was smilling.

"Yuna," Seto said, "How are you?"

"I'm great," he said, "I just saw an awesome duel with Kano earlier."

"Kano? So, he can duel after all?"

"Yeah. And he used the Gummi Dragon."

Seto looked at him, and said, "Candy Eyes Gummi Dragon?" His eyes showed that talking about this card annoyed him a bit. He still thought Blue Eyes didn't need that card in it's legacy, but he kept that to himself, and continued, "So he finally made use of that card. I hope he likes it."

"Judging by how excited he was when he played it, I'd say he does."

Once again, Yuna began to feel a stabbing pain in his head, and his mind went back to the flashback.

 _'Exodia... Obliterate!'_

Yuna had to ask, "Grandpa... did you ever lose a duel by someone playing Exodia?" Seto's expression went almost nostalgic, as if he was having a good memory. He told Yuna "I remember that day. It was my first duel with Yugi. He somehow played the card that no one else has been able to do before... or as far to my knowledge, since. Why do you ask?"

Yuna just stood there, feeling a confusion beyond anything he had ever felt. For whatever reason, he supposedly had a vision of Yugi's first duel with Kaiba. He didn't know how, or why, but he did. He needed something to take his mind off of it...

"You know what I just realized, Grandpa," he asked, "This school's called the Seto Kaiba MEMORIAL Dueling Academy, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you have to be dead to have a 'memorial' anything?"

"..."

* * *

 **And there you have it. I actually decided against the 8,000 words per episode thing, and am saying that Episode one was just a two parter. And I introduced two new major characters here, one of whom shall duel later.**

 **Anyway, here's all the custom cards made by me this episode:**

 **Gummi Archer (WATER, Level 3, Warrior/Effect, ATK: 1200, DEF: 1400): When this card is normal summoned, you can draw one card.**

 **Gummi Brawler (WATER, Level 5, Warrior/Effect, ATK: 2000, DEF: 2000): When this card destroys a defense position monster by battle, inflict the difference to your opponent's life points.**

 **Candy Mage (DARK, Level 3, Spellcaster/Tuner, ATK: 1100, DEF: 1300): When you special summon a 'Candy' monster from your deck or graveyard, you can special summon this card from your hand.**

 **Small Candy Golem (EARTH, Level 1, Rock/Effect, ATK: 0, DEF: 1200): If you control no monsters, you can special summon this card. When this card is targeted by an opponent's monster for battle while it's in attack position, you can automatically switch this card to defense mode. If this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, you can special summon one 'Candy Golem' from your hand or deck.**

 **Candy Golem (EARTH, Level 3, Rock/Effect, ATK: 1000, DEF: 2000): When this card is targeted for an attack while in attack position, you can automatically switch it to defense mode. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, you can special summon one 'Big Candy Golem' from your hand or deck.**

 **Big Candy Golem (EARTH, Level 5, Rock/Effect, ATK: 2000, DEF: 2800): This card cannot be normal summoned or set. This card must be special summoned by the effect of 'Candy Golem'. When this card is targeted for an attack while in attack mode, you can automatically switch it to defense mode. Once per turn: you can discard one card. This monster gains 500 ATK.**

 **Candy Eyes Gummi Dragon (LIGHT, Level 8, Dragon/Reaction/Effect, ATK: 3000, DEF: 2500): 1 Light Type monster and 1 Water Type monster. This card is immune to the effect of spells and traps until two turns have passed since you summon this monster. For every 'Candy' or 'Gummi' monster in the graveyard, this card gains 300 ATK.**

 **Candy Colossus (EARTH, Level 8, Rock/Synchro/Effect, ATK: 3000, DEF: 3600): 1 tuner + 1 or more non-tuner monsters. Once per turn: By tributing 1 monster, you can increase this cards ATK by half of the tributed monster's ATK.**

 **And lastly, yes I know I said no one in the duel academy used normal monsters, but I'm just gonna say it picked up a little after Yuna's duel with Wake.**

* * *

 **Next episode, we see a Duel between two prodigies...**


	4. Ep 4: Tora's Challenge

**Hey guys, so just an alert. I am now taking applications for OCs. If you like this story, and want to help me continue it, you might be able to. If you have a character that you are willing to let me use, send it to me through PM.**

 **Tell me their name, age, gender, appearance, personality, entire dueling deck (and if they have any custom cards, tell them to me like how I do it), dueling style (if they prefer to try to rush down their opponent, or manipulate them, etc), who they're related to (if they are related to characters from the series), their alignment, end goal, and who you want them to duel first.**

 **Not all characters will be accepted, but if they are, I will give credit, and try to stay true to the original character.**

 **One last thing. From now on, whenever I put in bold and Italics, that means a flashback.**

 **With that out of the way, enjoy!**

* * *

Once again, Yuna found himself in the same darkness he had been in for many nights. Only this time, he was not in the prescence of a figure made of pure light. Instead, he was all alone.

Surveying his surroundings, to see if he could find anything, all he saw in the distance was a tiny white dot. Wether it was really far away or just really small, he was about to find out.

He began to move his feet, starting to jog over to where the dot was. It felt like he had ran a mile, but the dot still only got slightly bigger. But as it did, he noticed a slight bit of details on it. He was getting closer.

What had started as a mere jog for Yuna had turned into a sprint. The closer he got to the dot, the less it looked like a dot. He noticed it's features, such as a long neck, wings, and claws.

 _'Wait a second,'_ Yuna thought, _'A white creature with wings, claws, and a long neck?'_

His body continued onward, as he himself was pondering where he had seen this before. Only one thing came to mind...

 _"Yuna..."_

Looking back toward where he was headed, Yuna stopped dead in his tracks. He was in front of a creature he knew very well. It's white body looked to be covered in armor and spikes, and looked to tower over Yuna. His wings were by its sides, keeping them folded as it remained on the ground. Its claws were kept low, so as to show itself as non-hostile, and it's fangs were out, but almost as a smile. As Yuna looked into the creatures blue eyes, he knew exactly what it was...

"Ein! It's you!"

Ein was the first of his three Blue Eyes White Dragons. Yuna was the only one who could tell the difference between the three cards, so he called them all by different names, and Ein was the one he usually pulled that saved him from trouble. In fact, Ein was the Blue Eyes that he had in his duel with Wake.

 _"It's good to see you,"_ Ein told him through telepathy, his voice strong, but light in tone. _"It's been a while."_

"What brings me here, Ein?"

Ein looked at him, looking slightly disappointed. _"We've noticed you've been... hesitant to duel lately."_ Once Yuna heard this, he knew this was an intervention, so he had to be honest. "It's because... well I'm certain you saw. I haven't been feeling like myself lately."

Ein nodded. The duel with Wake was not the first time Yuna had blacked out. In fact, in serious duels with his cousin, he had blacked out in about three of their duels. But the duel with Wake was the first time in a long time...

"I'm just worried that if this continues... I may end up blacking out, and screw up in a serious duel. And, I'm a little afraid of it, because... I'm not in control when it does happen."

Ein nodded once more, and then started to talk again, his voice soothing Yuna, _"I understand your hesitance, Yuna. I myself had been hesitant to duel with you in the beginning, thinking I couldn't serve anyone but Seto. But we did not stop, and we don't think you should either."_

"'We?'"

Suddenly, two more Blue Eyes White Dragons appeared out of nowhere. They were Zwei and Drei, and they had also helped him out in many situations.

 _"Yuna,"_ Zwei spoke, its voice soft and feminine, _"There is much you still don't understand, but that does not mean you should give up."_

"What do you mean, 'much I don't understand'," Yuna asked. Drei joined in, his voice deep and powerful. _"All will be revealed in due time,"_ he told Yuna, _"But for now, we wish to continue to serve you. Let us help you to do what you love."_

Yuna felt bad after hearing this. His dragons had been nothing but kind to him, and even now they were trying to help him get back up. He had to return the favor. He wouldn't allow his fear to stop him from doing what he loves.

"Alright, guys," Yuna told them, standing tall with his head held high, "I won't stop. I promise you that I'll continue onward. No doing stuff unconsciously will get in my way!"

The three Blue Eyes White Dragons looked at their master, their eyes showing they were happy with his choice. _"And we will be there for you whenever you need us,"_ Ein said, as the three begin to fly away. As soon as the dragons were out of view, a bright light enveloped the area.

Yuna simply smiled, awaiting what happens next.

* * *

Yuna opened his eyes, to find himself back in his room. Despite the fact that it was all a dream, Yuna was determined to keep his promise. Taking a quick look through his deck, he took out his three Blue Eyes, and nodded at them.

"Morning," he heard from behind him. Looking behind him, he saw Janine, who was up early. She was looking at him as if she was surprised at him. "What'cha doing lookin' at your deck?"

Yuna gave a small smile, and told the girl "I was feeling like dueling today. You think anyone tough is up yet?" Janine laughed and said "Not unless you count you or me."

"Heh heh. Well I'm gonna search anyway."

And with that, the two headed out the door. Yuna had the fire back in his eyes, and was ready to duel the first person he saw. Though right now, no one seemed to be awake, except for two who were already dueling in the distance. Naturally curiosity got the better of them, and the two came in to see who was dueling.

It was Elaine 'Lana' Yuki.

Yuna knew this girl pretty well. She was about 5'3, practically rail thin, and had blonde hair, at a length in-between long and short, and deep brown eyes. Her standard outfit also consisted of a red jacket, reminiscent of Jaden Yuki's old jacket (which was a bit baggy on her), with a black tank top, and white short shorts. She looked great, but what Yuna really thought was awesome about her was her skill as a duelist.

(Lana's LP: 2800)

(Opponent's LP: 800)

"Alright then," Lana exclaimed, "I tribute both Avian and Burstinatrix, to special summon my ace monster!" Out of the sky came Lana's ace. It had a muscular body with a deep tan (similar to that of a Greek's skin tone), and had long white hair. He wore a golden belt, with a loincloth, trousers, and golden gauntlets and greaves. He also wore a golden helmet that showed only his eyes (which were a bright golden yellow) and mouth. Overall, he was intimidating.

(ATK: 2500, DEF: 2200)

"Say hello to Elemental Hero Hyperion! And say goodbye to the rest of your life points! Attack Gagaga Magician!"

(Hyperion tries to attack the monster on the little girl's side of the field.)

As Yuna and got close to the field, he finally got to see who Lana was dueling:

Tora Tsukumo.

Tora just chuckled, and said "Sorry, but that attack won't go through! I play Attack Guidance Armor, and attach it to my defense position Cat Shark!"

(Suddenly, Hyperion changes his course, and attacks a a small blue cat-like creature.)

"And because Cat Shark has an overlay unit that was originally a Water type monster, it can't be destroyed by battle!"

Lana just looked at Tora. By the look on her face, she was impressed. "Well, alright," Lana said, "Then I guess I end my turn. Hit me with your best shot!" Tora smiled.

"You know I will! I draw! And from my hand I play Gogogo Golem! Next, I overlay him with Gagaga Magician, to Xyz Summon Number 155: Mythic War Tiger!"

(out of the overlay network, a white tiger covered in golden battle armor appeared. ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000)

"And next I use Cat Shark's ability! By removing 1 overlay unit, I can pick one Rank 4 or lower Xyz monster, and double it's Attack power! And I choose my Mythic War Tiger!"

(ATK: 5000)

"And next, I remove 1 overlay unit from Mythic War Tiger, to increase it's attack power by 800 more points!"

(ATK: 5800)

"Good enough an attack for ya!?"

(Mythic War Tiger attacks Hyperion, and Lana gets knocked to the ground. Lana's LP: 0)

* * *

Tora smirked, and did a backflip to celebrate her win. Lana got up, and said "Amazing! You got some incredible skills for a little girl."

"Thank my parents. They taught me everything I know."

It always amazed Yuna how gracious Lana could be, even in defeat. He decided to join the conversation and say hi. Lana noticed him before he could though and said, "You enjoy seeing that Duel, Yuna?"

Yuna nodded, and told her, "I only saw two turns, and I enjoyed it."

"Well, this Tora girl's got a good strategy, that's for sure. That Number card was especially strong."

Janine came in and added, "Numbers? Hey Yuna, don't you got Numbers?" When Tora heard this, she looked at Yuna, and her expression changed, becoming slightly more serious. "Would you mind showing me these Numbers," she asked, to which Yuna accepted. Pulling out his extra deck, he found that he had more numbers than before. But regardless, he handed her the cards, and here is what she said:

"You THIEF!"

The others were shocked, because she had just called Yuna a thief. She didn't even wait for them to ask, and elaborated. "These are my dad's Number cards! How'd you get 'em!"

Yuna answered hesitantly, saying "They were just in my extra deck holder one day..." It was obvious by Tora's annoyed expression that she was not happy with that answer. She told Yuna, "Well they don't belong to you! I'm taking them back!"

"Whoa, whoa," Janine cut in, "You can't just do that!"

"These cards belonged to my dad," Tora claimed, "And no offense, but I don't think he's the right person to use them!"

"Well they're in Yuna's card holder, so they're Yuna's," Janine told her, "And if you want 'em so bad you gotta win 'em. Ain't that right, Yun?" Yuna nodded, able to tell Janine was serious about this. "But since Yuna ain't in the best condition right now, I'll be taking you on."

Tora laughed, and told Janine "Please, you wouldn't last two minutes with me!"

Yuna was offended by her rude comments, and decided it was time to step in. But Janine stepped in quicker, saying "Oh really? Then I'm certain you'd have nothing to worry about!"

Tora simply laughed, and said, "Fine! I could use a good laugh." and tossed Yuna the Numbers.

"If you can somehow beat me, Yuna can keep them! Let's go!"

In an instant, the two duelist were ready. Janine's Black D-Gazer and D-Pad system started up. At the same time, Tora's red Duel Gazer, and D-Pad system started up. It was then that the two said in unison:

"DUEL! START!"

* * *

(Janine's LP: 4000)

(Tora's LP: 4000)

"This Tiger has claws," Tora yells to Yuna, "as your about to see. I draw!" She looked at her hand, and said "You're gonna lose!"

 _'Well,'_ Janine thought, _'At least I can say she's determined.'_

"Now," Tora continued, "I summon Stray Cat in attack mode! And because I normal summoned one, I can special summon a second Stray Cat in attack mode!"

(Two small cats, with their tails turned toward Janine, appeared. ATK: 100, DEF: 300)

"I hope you have fun dealing with these little cats!"

Janine got a serious look on his face, and said "Easy enough! I draw!" Looking at her hand, she saw some cards that were perfect. "First, I play Gene Warped War-Wolf! And then I'll activate Double Summon to summon Enraged Battle Ox!"

(A horrible mutated beast with four arms appears. ATK: 2000, DEF: 100)

(A giant ox like creature with armor and an ax appears. ATK: 1700, DEF: 1000)

"Now I can attack your strays and destroy ya! Battle Ox, attack!"

(Battle Ox approaches, but stops and looks at both cats, as if he doesn't know which one to attack.)

Tora begins to laugh, and tells Janine, "Don't you know? You can only attack a Stray Cat while it's in attack mode, so because I have two, you can't attack either!" On the sideline, Yuna was deep in thought, as he watched the duel with Lana.

 _'Interesting. Hopefully Janine has a good card in her hand.'_

On the field, Janine was thinking as well. _'Oh damn,'_ she thought, _'Please tell me I have a good card!'_ Looking through her hand, she found she had the exact card she needed. "Well then, here's the one card you don't want to see! Book of Moon! Now I can switch one of your strays to face down defense mode."

It was clear by the look on Tora's face that she was scared, but also that she was planning something. Janine sent in her Gene Warped Warwolf, which attacked the Stray Cat.

(Tora's LP: 2100)

"Exactly what I wanted to do," Tora told Janine. "Because now that my Stray's been destroyed, I can special summon Monster Cat!"

(A giant cat creature made of ghostly energy appears. ATK: 0, DEF: 0)

"And its effect destroy all level 4 or lower cards on your side of the field get destroyed, and you take 800 points of damage for each!"

(Janine's LP: 2400)

"Congratulations," Tora said sarcastically, "You actually did damage to me! But now it's my turn, and because of Monster Cat's effect, I get my Stray Cat back. So I play him once again! And then I play Terrible Twos!"

"Terrible what-now?"

Tora smirked, "It allows me to summon any two level two monsters from my deck at the cost of a mere 500 life points. And I choose Petit Dragon and Penguin Soldier"

(A small green dragon appears. ATK: 600, DEF: 700)

(A purple penguin wielding a small sword appears. ATK: 750, DEF: 500)

(Tora's LP: 1600)

"And next, I overlay them to Xyz Summon Cat Shark!"

(a small blue and white creature, reminiscent of a cat with fins appears. ATK: 500, DEF: 500)

"But that's not all! I play my own Double Summon, to allow me to set a monster. Next I set a face down, and end my turn!"

Janine looked at her opponent's field, and realized just how she could win this. Her hand was perfectly set up for this, but she had to draw one last card to make it the best she could. _'C'mon, deck. I know you know what card I need. Heheh. Look at me, talking to my deck! But let's hope it answers.'_

"I draw," Janine said. As she looked at the card she got, she thought _'My deck most certainly listened.'_ "I play Ancient Rules, to special summon one of my personal favorite monsters! Come on out, Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

In a burst of light, the mighty Red Eyes appears on the field. This mighty monster is now serving Janine, but unknown to anyone but Yuna and Janine, this monster had one more form to take. _'But that'll have to wait.'_ "I set a face down, and end my turn!"

"Alright then," Tora yells, "Let's see how you like this! I summon Gagaga Magician, and then overlay him with my face down, Ganbara Knight! With these, I build the overlay network once more, to Xyz Summon Number 155: Mythic War Tiger!"

With that, the monster that won Tora her last duel came onto the field. On the sidelines, Lana had joined in the spectating, and was shocked to see this same strategy. Yuna noticed this shock, and had to ask, "What's up, Lana?"

She looked over to Yuna and said softly, "That's the monster that took out Hyperion. I've never seen a Number Card in a duel before I saw yours. But I had heard that there are only 100..."

"No," Yuna told her, "I've heard Yuma had Numbers up to 200, and that he gave several of them to his daughter."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Yuna told her, "I just hope she can't get another one out."

On the battlefield, Tora laughed at Janine, and said "So next I attack you with Mythic War Tiger, and activate its effect! By removing one overlay unit, it gains 800 attack points!"

(Mythic War Tiger ATK: 3300)

"Now, War Tiger! Attack!"

"Not quite," Janine chuckled, "Because of my face down! Mirror Force!" The moment this card was played, all three monsters that were on Tora's side of the field were all destroyed. Tora was annoyed by this, but she layed one last card down to end her turn. "I'm not gonna lose," she said, "There's no way I'm letting some snobby rich kid have the Numbers!"

 _'Snobby rich kid,'_ Yuna thought. He wanted to be offended, but he kept it to himself. But it was obvious that Janine didn't understand it, so she asked "What are you talking about?"

Tora had a look in her eyes that showed her annoyance, and said "I met Yuna on Saturday, and he seemed like a nice guy. But then I found out he's related to Seto Kaiba. I'm familiar with their type. They're all a bunch of spoiled rotten jerks who think they're better than everyone else. And that's the last person I want to have control of the Number cards! So, I won't lose! Your move!"

Janine was in shock, but at the same time, looked angry at the young girl. No one talks about her friend and gets away with it. But at the same time, she knew that Tora was still a little girl, so she kept her cool, and told her "You might wanna rethink judging Yuna like that." Tora simply smiled, and asked "And why's that?"

"Because that's exactly how I judged Yuna when I first met him!"

"What!?"

"Yeah," Janine got a smile on her face, "I remember that day. It was 8 long years ago. Grandpa was teaching me Duel Monsters, and he took me to Kaibaland to duel people. Yuna was my first opponent, and I lost to him."

* * *

 _ **A 6 year old Yuna came down from his duel post. The 6 year old Janine was not happy about losing, and when she told him about it, all he said was "I warned you I'm good."**_

 _ **"He inherited MY dueling deck. Of course he's good."**_

 _ **Looking behind her, she saw Seto Kaiba come up. "But for a first timer," Kaiba said, "I must admit you did quite well."**_

 _ **"She inherited MY dueling deck. Once she understands it, she'll be unbeatable."**_

 _ **Looking over to the side, Yuna and Seto both saw Joey Wheeler (currently in his mid 70s), and smiled. "Well," Seto said, "It's been a long time, Wheeler."**_

 _ **"Yeah. Not long enough for my taste. This your grandson?"**_

 _ **Seto nodded, and Joey and him began to talk, saying "Well then, maybe we could have our grandkids duel in the Jr. Tag Team Tournament. Janine could use the experience."**_

 _ **"Sounds good."**_

 _ **"What," Janine exclaimed, "I'm not working with this guy! He's probably just some spoiled brat!"**_

 _ **"Janine," Joey turned to his granddaughter, "I thought I taught you better than that! You never judge a book by it's cover!"**_

* * *

"And I was glad that he made sure that lesson stuck with me," Janine said, "Cause otherwise, I would have missed out on making the best friend I've ever had! And I'm not gonna let you insult him because of your own crazy thinkings! I draw!"

With the drawing of this card, Janine knew she had won this duel. "Now's my time! I play one of my most powerful cards, compliments of Yuna! But before that, I play Cost Down, to decrease all of my monsters levels by 2, and then play Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

(A warrior covered in Iron Armor appears. ATK: 1800, DEF: 1600)

"Because Gearfried is now a Level 2 Earth Monster, and Red Eyes is a Level 7 Dark Monster, I can tribute them both to Reaction Summon Xyz Apocalypse Dragon!"

In a flash of light, a massive dark brown dragon covered black armor, with four wings, and horns protruding from it's head, appears on the field. This is Xyz Apocalypse Dragon, a card given to Janine by Yuna.

(ATK: 3200, DEF: 2800)

And right now, Janine planned to use it to it's best.

"Scared," Janine asked, "Well you should be! Because this monster has one effect that's gonna kick your butt! For every Xyz Monster in either Player's grave, it gains 500 attack points!"

(ATK: 4700)

Tora looked up sheepishly at the dragon. It was clear by the way she looked at it that she knew she had lost. And at Janine's command, the dragon shot a blast of energy at Tora.

(Tora's LP: 0)

* * *

When the duel had concluded, Janine went over to Yuna, who congratulated her. "That was an amazing duel," he said, "And you got to use your ace Reaction Card."

As the group talked, Tora noticed that the three were talking very nicely together. Yuna showed no signs of being a mean person, so it got her thinking. _'Maybe I was wrong. I need to apologize.'_

"So Yuna," Lana said, "You by any chance looking for a duel? I got nothing to do." Yuna nodded, before noticing Tora was coming this way. "Yuna," Tora said, "I wanted to... say sorry for accusing you like that..."

The look in Yuna's eyes (well, the eye that they could see, anyway), told the little girl that he was not annoyed at her. "You wanted to make sure that the Number Cards were in good hands, right?" She nodded, and Yuna said, "Well, one day, I hope to prove to you that I'm worthy!"

Tora smiled, and said, "We'll just have to see. I was going to see if I could duel you today, but I'd rather do that tomorrow. How about it?"

"Count me in."

Lana joined in the conversation saying, "So, you still up for that duel today, Yuna?"

"You know it!"

In a split second, they were across from each other, and were ready. And they only had one thing to say to each other:

"Let's Duel!"

* * *

 **So that's that chapter. I realize the duels are going kinda quick, but once I get into the real storyline, they will be much bigger. But anyways, I am going to accept OC Applications up until the point where I post Episode... 7, I guess? If you are willing to give me an OC, then send it to me through PM.**

 **Also, here's the custom cards this chapter:**

 **Elemental Hero Hyperion (LIGHT, Level 7, Warrior, ATK: 2500, DEF: 2200): The new leader of the Elemental Heroes. He has power to rival the sun, but his true potential lies in his ability to React with others.**

 **Number 155: Mythic War Tiger (EARTH, Rank 4, Beast/Xyz/Effect, ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000): 2 Level 4 monsters. Once per turn, you can remove 1 overlay unit. Increase this monster's ATK by 800.**

 **Terrible Twos (TRAP): By paying 500 life points, you can summon any two Level 2 monsters from your deck.**

 **Xyz Apocalypse Dragon (Level 9, DARK, Dragon/Reaction/Effect, ATK: 3200, DEF: 2800): 1 DARK Monster and 1 EARTH Monster. For Every Xyz Monster in either player's graveyard, this card gains 500 ATK.**

* * *

 **Next Episode, we see a few new faces (hopefully).**


	5. Ep 5: Magic Duel

**So, here's episode four. It's going to introduce us to what's going to happen later on.**

 **Also 'Guest' who wrote reviews in caps lock (you know who you are), I saw your last review. You had a lot to say, and don't worry. The Fudo offspring will appear eventually, and yes, Lana is Jaden and Alexis' Granddaughter.**

 **So, I know I said we were going to be introduced to some new faces, and that will still happen this chapter. But not all of those faces will be human.**

* * *

Unfortunately, due to the fact that it was Monday, the kids still had to go to class. The lucky fact that they just happened to wake up before classes started meant that they were able to duel, while still having plenty of time left over.

The rest of the day went as normal or as expected. Classes were easy, homework was scarce, and it was only 4 days until their trip to Egypt. This was the best thing Yuna had heard all week. He loved anything to do with Egypt, and this made him as happy as can be.

To celebrate, he figured he would go out and duel some more. Since he had already beat Lana this morning, he was in fighting fit.

He wanted to duel someone strong, and that was exactly what he planned to do.

Yuna went outside to see if he could find anyone, and the first one he saw was Kano, who was going on his daily jog. "Hey Yun," he said, "How are ya?"

Yuna looked at Kano, who was currently in his jogging gear (a white tank top, sweatpants, and converse shoes). He knew Kano loved to run, so he knew what was going on right now. "Going out for a run?"

Kano smiled, and said, "Well you know me. Why, you wanna join me?"

"Yeah, sure."

Yuna was still planning to duel someone, just not now. He headed back to the dorm, and put on his own jogging gear (a similar white tank top, sweatpants, and sneakers). In only a couple of minutes, Yuna was ready to head out.

In a minute of heading outside, Yuna and Kano were on the road. "So Kano," Yuna asked curiously, "Why you been jogging so much anyway?"

"I figured the trip to Egypt was the perfect excuse to start cardio training. And hey, it helped me slim down."

Yuna nodded. Kano had always been a bit on the chubby side, but as of late, he had been getting thinner. In fact, he was nearly to the point where he had a visible six pack.

"Well good," Yuna said, "At least you're getting there."

The rest of the jog had without the two talking much. In fact, when they did talk, they were mainly just talking about the big dueling tournament coming in two months. Up until Kano said, "I know you're going with your Blue Eyes deck for the tournament."

"You know it," Yuna said, "It's not like I go with much else." Kano laughed, and said "True. Your obsession with those cards is practically hereditary. What I still wonder is where you got that Dark Magician."

"You know they've re-released the 'Dark Magician' card."

"Yeah," Kano said, "But the fact that you have the original artwork 'Dark Magician'. It's awesome, because those aren't made anymore." Yuna was puzzled by this. He knew that the Dark Magician, but he never knew his had the original artwork.

"You mind explaining to me when we get back to the dorm?"

Kano nodded, and the two continued jogging. In only a few minutes, they had returned to the dorm, and went to look at Yuna's dueling deck. Yuna pulled out his copy of the 'Dark Magician' and looked at it. Kano looked at it, and said "Yup. That's the original artwork."

The Magician shown in this card had fair skin, purple hair, and purple armor and robes. And of course, he had the 'Dark Magician' trademark: His green staff, which is his tool for casting spells.

"So this was the original Dark Magician," Yuna asked, "Like the one Yugi used?" Kano nodded and said, "Yeah. Grandpa used a card just like that, and I wanted to use the same. But the card was gone from Grandpa's deck when I inherited it."

"Well, I know got your hands on two Dark Magicians."

Kano grabbed his deck box. "Yeah," he said, pulling out two cards. "But neither of them was an Original Artwork like what Gramps had. I got these instead." Kano showed Yuna two different variants of the 'Dark Magician'. One wore red armor with gold highlights, and had tan skin (reminiscent of an Egyptian's skin tone) and silver hair. The other wore purple armor with red highlights, and had pale green skin and blonde hair.

"So," Yuna pondered for a moment, "You say you want an Original Artwork Dark Magician, and you have two. How about we trade then?" Kano looked at Yuna, as if he was planning to accept the offer, and then he looked at the clock. "Oh right! Can we do it later? I'm almost late for a duel. I gotta head out to the cemetery!"

Yuna nodded, and decided to join Kano. For some reason, he wanted to watch the duel, just to know what would happen. Something was telling him he needed to watch it...

* * *

They had made their way out to the cemetery, and saw one man standing there with a duel disk. This guy was Hayden, and he was considered ruthless. "So glad to see you made it," he said with a smirk. "Especially since I thought you would chicken out."

Kano put his deck into his duel disk, and said "Well, I'm here. Now do you have what you took from me?"

Hayden continued to smirk, before asking, "What? This?" and showing the two a card. Kano's 'Candy Eyes Gummi Dragon' card to be specific. From what Yuna could gather, Hayden stole the Gummi Dragon, and now Kano had to duel him to get it back.

This proved to be right, when Kano said, "Let's not waste any time. When I win this, you give me that card back."

"DUEL! START!"

* * *

(Hayden's LP: 4000)

(Kano's LP: 4000)

"Remember this duel," Hayden said, "Because it'll be long and painful for you! I draw!" Hayden immediately took one card, and said "First, I play Marauding Captain in defense mode, and use his effect to special summon Familiar Knight in defense mode! And next I set a face down, and end my turn!"

(An Armored man with two longswords appears. ATK: 1200/DEF: 400)

(An armored warrior appeared on the field, his shield raised in front of him. ATK: 1200/DEF: 1400)

"Fine then," Kano said, "I draw!" Looking at his hand, he found he had one card in particular that would help him. _'Skilled Dark Magician,'_ he thought _'If I can destroy his 'Familiar Knight', with it, I can start a chain reaction!'_ Looking up to see the impatient look on Hayden's face, Kano began his turn. "And I summon Skilled Dark Magician! Then, because I control a Spellcaster, I can special summon Gummi Swordsman from my deck!"

(A man in a dark grey robe with a chest plate, shoulder pads, and a staff with a black stone, appears. ATK: 1900/DEF: 1700)

(A young warrior wielding a sword made of red gummi appears. ATK: 1500/DEF: 1950)

"And I'll use my Magician to attack your Knight!"

"I'm afraid you can't! Because while Marauding Captain is on the field, he is the only card you can attack!"

(Skilled Dark Magician shoots a beam of magic out of his staff, destroying Marauding Captain.)

"But because I have my swordsman, I can attack your Knight as well! And because of your knight's effect, we both get to special summon a monster to our side of the field! And I choose my Skilled White Magician."

(A man in a white robe, with a chestplate, shoulder pads, and a staff with a blue stone, appears. ATK: 1700/DEF: 1900)

Hayden smirked, and said "Then I'll summon Rare Metal Dragon!"

(A dragon made of metal appears on the field. ATK: 2400/DEF: 1200)

Kano looked at the dragon on the field, and thought, _'I remember this card! People said when Hayden summoned this card, it was the beginning of the end. I better be careful, or I'm doomed.'_ Looking back at his hand, he drew a card, and hatched a plan. "First, I'll use the trap card Jar of Greed!" He drew one more card, and his plan came to fruition. "And next, I'll play this: Graceful Charity! Now, I get three cards, provided I get rid of two!"

Drawing three cards, he then put two other cards from his hand to his graveyard. _'Yes! This'll definitely save me!'_ He smirked at Hayden, then said, "And with that, I'll set two cards face down to end my turn!"

Hayden smirked once more, and said, "Fine then, I draw! And from my hand, I'll play 'Call of the Haunted', to special summon my Knight back to the field! And next, I tribute him and my Rare Metal Dragon to summon my Dark Magician!" Suddenly, the two monsters vanish to make way for this new creature.

It looked like the 'Dark Magician', but it had pale skin, white hair, black armor, and a black staff. If this was the 'Dark Magician', it was a variant Kano had never seen.

"That's a Dark Magician," Yuna asked, "It doesn't look like one I've seen." Hayden smirked and said, "That's because it's the rarest variant of this card in existence! There are only 10 of them in the entire world! And it'll be the end of you! Dark Magic Attack!"

(This Black Magician attacks Kano's Gummi Swordsman.)

"Sorry to say," Kano said, "But you just activated my Swordsman's other ability. So long as my Magicians remain on the field, my Swordsman can't be destroyed! Along with that, I take no damage!"

Hayden looked annoyed at Kano, and said, "God Dammit! How can you snake your way around my Magician's power!?"

"Because my Deck is unbeatable when used just right!"

Hayden gave an evil grin, and said "Well then, let's just see how long it lasts against the Shadow Realm!"

From the sidelines, Yuna got a splitting headache. The moment Hayden had said 'Shadow Realm', he began to hear two voices speaking to each other in his mind.

* * *

 _'Are you sure about this, Pharaoh?' A deep, powerful voice, asked. It sounded like something he knew quite well, but at the same time, like nothing he'd ever heard._

 _'I'm certain he just said 'Shadow Realm'. So Kano needs to give this duel his all,' Another voice, nearly identical to the first said. This second voice was similar, but was deeper, and more commanding. Despite the similarities, Yuna could tell exactly which of the two was talking._

 _'So Kano might just need help?'_

 _'Let's just see what happens, my friend. And if he needs us, then we'll help him.'_

* * *

As soon as Yuna was outside of this thought, Yuna noticed the surroundings. It was the cemetery, but it was covered in a layer of dark purple mist. Judging by what Yuna had heard, this must be the Shadow Realm.

Yuna had heard about the 'Shadow Realm' before, from stories from Janine's Grandpa Joey, and even from his Grandpa Kaiba (who admitted to not believing in it for so long, but able to find much else that made sense to him). But he was never able to believe in it, and most certainly didn't believe in it right now...

"Welcome," Hayden said evily, "To MY Shadow Duel!"

 _'Shadow Duel,'_ Kano thought, _'Grandpa told me about this, but I never believed it was real! I guess I'll just have to follow Gramps' stories. But wait... that means if I lose this duel, I'll lose my soul! I can't have that happen, so I gotta win!'_

"Hey, Kano," Hayden said, "If you don't start in the next five seconds, I'm considering that a forfeit!" It didn't take Kano but a moment after hearing that to draw his card. "Fine then! I'll play Toon Table of Contents!"

"'Toon Table of Contents'," Hayden asked, "You get that card from Maximillion Pegasus?"

"Yes, actually. And with it, I can draw any card with Toon in it's name. And I draw another Toon Table of Contents! And then another, and finally, I get my Blue Eyes Toon Dragon!" After all of these Draws, Kano ended it, by showing the card to Hayden, who asked, "And why the hell would you do that for a monster you can't even summon?"

"Because now I can special summon twice in one turn!"

Hayden looked at his D-Pad, wanting to understand what he meant. Then he noticed Kano's Skilled Magicians. They both had three Spell Counters thanks to the 'Toon Table of Contents' strategy that was just used.

"So now," Kano continued, "I can special summon both Dark Magician from my Graveyard, and Buster Blader from my Deck!" In an instant, the two Skilled Magicians vanished, in the place of two new monsters. There was a Dark Magician with red armor, tan skin, and silver hair, as well as there being a Black Clad Knight with a massive Scimitar shaped blade.

Yuna looked at the field and smirked. _'So he's using this strategy. Another one I helped him come up with.'_

* * *

 _ **Yuna and Kano were sitting on the bed, and looking at the cards given to them by Maximillion Pegasus. Yuna said "Interesting cards. Stupid idea, but some of these cards are pretty powerful."**_

 _ **Kano was looking through them, and found one card that caught his eye. "Well, I think I've found the one card you're gonna hate the most." He held up a card and showed it to Yuna, who got an annoyed look on his face.**_

 _ **"Blue Eyes Toon Dragon," he said, "I really hate that card." He then began to look at the other cards in front of them, and said, "But... it could be useful to you."**_

* * *

Back on the battlefield, Hayden simply smirked, and said "So, it's true. They say you own two rare forms of the Dark Magician! Well let's have some fun, why don't we? If I win, I take both of your Magicians, but if you win, you get my three!"

Kano looked at him, unable to believe what he just heard. _'Three extra Dark Magicians? That'd be awesome, especially if one of them is like Grandpa's! But I can't possibly bet my two like that. True I haven't used either that much, but they're still my cards, and I wouldn't want to insult them like that.'_ Kano was about to say no to the offer, until he noticed his Dark Magician.

He was smirking at Kano, as if saying 'Do it. There's no way we'll lose.' And despite it being a card, he was inclined to listen. So he said "Alright then! I accept!"

As soon as he did, Hayden laughed maniacally, saying "Then once this is over, I'll have your soul and your favorite cards! I draw!"

"Not done, here," Kano said, leaving Hayden to stand there with his hand on his deck. "I Attack your Dark Magician with my Buster Blader! And then MY Dark Magician will attack you Directly!"

(Buster Blader cleaves through this Black Magician. Hayden's LP: 3900)

(Kano's Magician hits Hayden with a beam of energy. Hayden's LP: 1400)

Hayden continued to chuckle evilly, and said, "No matter! In the end, I'll still win. I draw!" After drawing, he got an evil smile, showing malevolence beyond anything Kano had ever seen. "Thanks to the cards 'Foolish Burial', and 'Premature Burial'. Now I send my Double Coston to the grave, and special summon back my Double Coston!"

(A creature looking like two cells appears. Hayden's LP: 600.)

"And next, I play Birthright, to bring back my first Dark Magician, and then tribute my Coston to summon my second Dark Magician!"

(The first Black Magician appears, as well as a second who looks exactly the same.)

"And lastly, I'll play Dark Magic Curtain to play my third and final Dark Magician!"

(Hayden's LP: 300)

With that, one more Dark Magician appeared. Though this one was more familiar. It had Purple Armor and Purple hair, and it's blue eyes showed seriousness. This Dark Magician was the same type as Yugi's.

* * *

Kano looked in shock. He was looking at a monster he knew all too well, and this time, it was a variant that he knew very well. Hayden just continued to give an evil laugh, and said "How does it feel, knowing your grandpa's card will be what destroys you?"

"My Grandpa's Dark Magician..."

"Indeed," Hayden said, "This monster is now my pawn! Yugi was not the only one to possess this magician, and he most certainly wasn't the best! That title belongs to me!" Kano was trying to not believe what he was hearing. He couldn't possibly believe that his Grandpa's 'Dark Magician' could possibly serve Hayden. It didn't seem plausible to him...

 _"Kano,"_ he heard a deep voice say in his mind. Looking around to see where the voice came from, all he found was Yuna leaning against the tree. Unknown to him was that Yuna was the owner of the voice. No one could see it, but his left eye was currently a deep amethyst color.

 _"Don't believe a single word he says," the voice continued, "That is not my Dark Magician! It may look the same, but it is not."_

 _"Grandpa," Kano asked mentally, "Is that you?"_

 _"Indeed, and your opponent is just trying to mess with your head. Don't let his mind games get to you."_

 _"But just looking at it... it reminds me of you."_

 _"You must look past the appearance of the card, and you will see that it is nothing like mine."_

Taking this advice, Kano decided to close his eyes. _'My eyes are decieving me,'_ he thought, _'I won't let them do that again!'_ Once he opened his eyes again, and this time, he could see something in their eyes. Each one had a look of evil. It was almost as if he was staring into their souls, and what he saw was nothing like his Grandpa's Magician. With this, Kano smirked.

"Sorry to say," he said, "But your mind games aren't going to work on me! I draw!" Looking at his card, he set it face down, not even recognizing it. "Your move!"

"So I'll play Tribute to the Doomed, and discard this card to destroy Buster Blader." In that situation, all Kano could do was let it happen. "And next, I play my 2 copies of 'Gift of the Martyr', to Tribute my two Rare Dark Magicians to increase the attack of this Magician!" The Two 'Black Magicians' turned into energy, and entered the third Magicians Staff.

(Dark Magician's ATK: 7500)

"And lastly, I play 'Seal of Power', which lets my Dark Magician attack you directly at the cost of half of my Life Points.

(Hayden's LP: 150)

"Now Dark Magician, ATTACK!" Hayden's 3rd Dark Magician pointed it's staff directly at Kano, who braced himself for the attack. It never came, however. Kano was afraid to open his eyes, but was amazed at what he saw when he did...

* * *

There was a large barrier in front of him, with two standing in front of it. They were his Red Armored Dark Magician, and his Purple Clad Dark Magician. "What the hell," Kano asked, confused. Both Magicians looked back at there master, and smiled.

"Don't worry master," the Purple Clad Magician said, his voice strong and confident, "We will protect you." Still desiring more explanation, Kano asked "What happened?"

The Red Dark Magician began to speak, his voice dignified and commanding, "As you know, we're in the Shadow Realm. We monsters have much more power in this world, and there is no way we're letting you lose this duel. So we activated your face down."

Kano looked at the card, and saw what it was: 'Dark Magic Twin Barrier'. He had never played this card before, but he knew of it's effect.

(Kano's LP: 3500)

"But how did you even summon yourself," Kano asked. "And why do you care about saving me?" Red Dark Magician looked at his master, and said "Because we will protect you with our very lives. I am Xandreo, and my purple clad associate is known as Faust, and we are your two Dark Magicians. We may not be your grandfather's Magician, Mahad, but we will serve you with the same level of loyalty."

Kano looked at them, with tears stinging at his eyes. _'The fact that these two cards, that I was willing to trade off, are willing to serve me so well... I don't need an Original Dark Magician! I've had the best two right here!'_

Kano gave a simple smile, and said "Well then, Xandreo, Faust. Shall we win this duel?" The two magicians nodded, and Hayden said "You can't! Because I have one last Card! Gagagashield!"

With a smirk, Kano said, "Doesn't change anything! I draw, and play my Field Spell! Great Candy War Zone!" Hayden looked at him confused, and he said, "Before I resolve this cards effect, I'm gonna tell you a little story. Cause every card in Duel Monsters has a lore behind it, and these cards have some of my favorites!"

 _'Oh god,'_ Hayden thought, _'Some stupid candy story.'_

* * *

"A long time ago, there was a Kingdom made of Candy. It was never taken seriously, until another kingdom tried to conquer them. Gummi, the King of Candy, sent soldiers came out to the battle, the greatest of these soldiers known as the 'Gummi Force'. They went out to a battlefield they knew very well, and beat the army thanks to their homefield advantage! This was the final battle of the Great Candy War!"

* * *

"And your telling me this because..."

"This card puts us right in the middle of this battlefield! And it gives every Gummi or Candy monster 500 extra Attack and Defense! Good thing too, and now it's time for a little overlay action!"

It was at this moment, Hayden looked terrified. Xandreo and Faust turned into energy, and crossed over, making way for a new monster. He was wearing black armor with purple lining, and was wielding a red staff with purple lining.

(ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100)

"This is Gummi Magician, and he will be the end of you! Thanks to Great Candy War Zone, he gets just enough of a boost to beat your Magician!"

(ATK: 3000/ DEF: 2600)

"Now Gummi Magician! Attack!" With the command given, the Gummi Magician pointed it's staff at the Dark Magician, and hit it with a beam of energy, winning the duel.

(Hayden's LP: 0)

As soon as the attack was done, the purple mist cleared, leaving Hayden on the ground. All that was left were the three Dark Magicians and the Candy Eyes Gummi Dragon laying on the ground. Kano was thinking _'If that was a shadow duel, I don't ever want to do that again.'_

Yuna came over and said, "Well, I guess you got your original Dark Magician like you wanted. Are you happy?"

"Honestly," Kano told him "I think I'd rather keep my two. After all they've done for me, there's no way I'm getting rid of them. I also really don't need this many Magicians. I'll just give these to other duelists around, but I might just keep one for myself." Yuna smiled, and thought _'Glad to see Kano's understanding having faith in your cards.'_

"Well it's horrible to see what happened to Hayden though," Yuna said, "But after what he was willing to destroy you, I can't say I blame you for beating him."

"Yeah... but what do we say about where he went?"

"... That's a bridge we gotta cross when we get to it. Or burn it before we get to it."

* * *

 **Well, there you have it. That's another chapter for this fic. I'm really trying to get this stuff and make it good, but it's really difficult. I am also still taking OC applications (up until episode 7, because Episode 8 is where the real stuff starts), if you want to help with this story. If you don't, I understand, but it would be a huge help. So if you want to send in an OC, PM me.**

 **Anyways, as always, custom cards!**

 **Gummi Swordsman (WATER, Level 4, Warrior/Effect, ATK: 1500/DEF: 1950): When a Spellcaster Monster with 1500 or more ATK is normal summoned successfully, you can special summon this card from your hand or deck. Once per turn, if you control a Spellcaster Monster, this card cannot be destroyed by battle. You take no damage from battles involving this card.**

 **Dark Magic Twin Barrier (TRAP): If you control a 'Dark Magician' while your opponent declares an attack, negate the attack. You can then pay 500 Life Points to special summon another 'Dark Magician' from your hand or deck.**

 **Great Candy War Zone (FIELD SPELL): Instead of drawing during your draw phase, you can add 1 'Gummi' or 'Candy' monster from your deck to your hand. All 'Gummi' and 'Candy' Monsters you control gain 500 ATK and DEF.**

 **Seal of Power (SPELL): Pay half your life points to choose 1 monster on the field. That monster can attack your opponent directly this turn.**

 **Gummi Magician (DARK, Level 7, Spellcaster/Xyz/Effect, ATK:2500/DEF:2100): 2 Level 7 Monsters. This card cannot be targeted by spells, traps, or card effects. This card gains 300 ATK for every 'Gummi' or 'Candy' monster in the graveyard. Once per turn, you can remove 1 overlay unit; destroy 1 monster with equal or less attack than 'Gummi Magician'.**

 **And last, in case I wasn't clear on it: Xandreo has the same design of the Dark Magicians used by Arkana, and Faust is the second TCG Artwork for Dark Magician (the one with pale green skin and blonde hair, but still has the green staff).**

* * *

 **Next time, Lana and Yuna team up...**


	6. Ep 6: 'Wake Returns' Part 1

**Hey guys, I'm back. So, I had a plan to have Yuna and Tora's duel be the main part of this episode... and then I found the time to watch some Arc-V.**

 **And on that note, I'm only like 5 episodes in right now, but I gottta say... I LIKE IT! Yuya reminds me so much of Jaden Yuki by how energetic they are, and how much fun they have dueling. And since Jaden is my favorite protagonist, that makes me have a soft spot for Yuya as a protagonist (that and I freaking love the Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon).**

 **However, as in this AU, Arc-V doesn't exist (for a number of reasons; the main one being it ain't finished, and I don't wanna make stuff up), but that doesn't mean I can't take elements from it...**

 **And that's where this chapter comes in. And last, every Duel Monsters Card given a name is important (for example, Xandreo has a backstory that I'll get into sometime later. Not gonna reveal anything, other than that it has something to do with Arkana (go figure).**

 **And with that, on with the chapter!**

* * *

October 14th. Yuna's Birthday.

As of today, Yuna Kaiba was 15 years old. And to celbrate, all of his friends planned to duel him one after another.

He was currently in the final duel with Tora (as he promised her a duel), but they had decided to make it interesting. If he couldn't beat her on his first turn, he'd have to pay her 100 bucks. And being the betting man he was, he accepted, and planned to win.

"Here's my turn! I'll play Goblindberg, and use his effect to bring Gogogo Golem to the field. Next, I'll overlay them to Xyz Summon Number 178: Spark Driver!"

(A large yellow robot like creature, with lightning-rods coming out of it's elbows, appears. ATK: 2000/DEF: 2600)

"And I'll be playing it in attack mode. Your move! And you remember our bet, so make it a good one!"

Yuna smirked, and said "With pleasure!" Upon drawing his card, he devised a strategy. "Because you control a monster and I don't, I can special summon Silver Divine: Swordsman of Darkness."

(A armor clad warrior with a black bladed sword appears. ATK: 2100/DEF: 2400)

"And thanks to being special summoned, I can pay 500 Life Points to special summon Silver Divine: Priestess of Light from my deck."

(A white clad girl with short, light blue hair, and a staff shaped like a spear, appears. ATK: 2400/DEF: 2100)

(Yuna's LP: 3500)

"And next, I'll use the effect of Electric Virus in my hand. By sending this card to the grave, I can choose 1 machine or dragon on the field, and take control of it 'til the end of my turn. And unless I'm mistaken, Spark Driver is a Machine type."

(Spark Driver gets zapped by a bolt of lightning and disappears. A moment later, he appears on Yuna's side of the field. ATK: 2000)

"That's all I need! My Silver Divines attack you directly, and I win it with your monster!"

(The Swordsman and the Priestess both attack Tora directly.)

(Tora's LP: 0)

"Now then! I'll be heading out," Yuna said. As he made his way to the dorm, he noticed something out of the ordinary. There was a giant wooden crate outside of his dorm...

"Hey dude," he heard Kano call, obviously coming to the dorm as well, "You notice the crate as well?" Yuna nodded, and Kano continued, saying "I noticed it dropped off this morning, right after we left for the duels. I think the guy said it's 'for the birthday boy'."

"Well then, who do you think sent it?"

"That would be me!"

Looking behind them, the two boys saw the owner of the voice. He was an elderly man who was very well built for his age, with short white hair (as well as a white beard), and piercing blue eyes. He was dressed in a navy blue business suit and boots. It literally didn't take Yuna a moment to know who it was:

"Grandpa!"

"Good to see you," Seto said, smiling. From the sideline, Kano also smiled, saying "Hi there, Mr. Kaiba."

"Ah, Kano. I heard from Yuna about your duel a couple days ago. Is it true you made him beg for mercy?"

Kano simply chuckled and said, "Yeah..." Seto Kaiba laughed at this, and said "Best thing I've heard in a while. But back on why I'm here. You wanna open that crate, Yuna?" Looking back at the crate, Yuna's curiosity piqued. Noticing the crowbar in his grandpa's hand, he gladly took it, and pried off one of the sides. And what he saw inside was amazing:

It was a Duel Runner.

It was reminiscent in design to the Runner used by Yusei Fudo back when he was a Turbo Duelist, only this one was sleeker, and painted white. It also had blue trim, a blue dueling apparatus, and fins on the back (similar to the fins on the back of an old Cadillac). All in all, it looked like a duel runner specifically designed for Yuna.

"Whoa!" Yuna exclaimed, unable to believe what he was looking at. Seto gave him a smile, and said "Happy birthday Yuna. You're now old enough to Turbo Duel."

"I definitely wasn't expecting this" Yuna said, "But this is amazing." Then suddenly, an unknown voice said "It certainly is." Looking behind them, they saw a person they were unaware of. He had long black hair, and dull grey eyes.

"Forgive me for barging into your conversation," this unknown man said, "But I couldn't help but overhear. My name is Jackal Jutetsu, and I've heard quite a deal about you Yuna. You're one of the best in New Domino's Teen Dueling Circuit."

This was true. Yuna has lost only three times out of the 35 duels he has done since entering the Dueling Circuit, and he was very proud of it. "Well, glad to hear it," Yuna said smugly, trying not to get TOO big a head. "So, anything you want?"

The stranger said, "Yes, actually. As I just overheard, you're now able to Turbo Duel. Now, my school happens to have a Turbo Dueling track, as well as being the first to have a new dueling system, all of which are allowed to be used at any time by any student. And in case you can't see where this is going, I'm offering you the chance to enroll at my school."

Seto stepped in and said "And you think he'll be persuaded to join your school because?"

"Because I'm offering him and his friends a tour of the school, so that he can be persuaded. And in the end, after seeing how prestigious my school is, I'm certain he'll pick mine."

"Even if you have all of this stuff, it's nothing I can't afford to make."

"Well then" Jackal asked "Why don't we let Yuna decide? It's his choice, correct?" Seto simply kept his signature blank scowl, and said "Very well. Yuna, let's go see this place."

* * *

When they made it to the school, the first thing out of Yuna's mouth was, "Wait? This place is a Duel Academy? I always thought it was like... some massive College or something."

The Jutetsu Dueling Academy (as it was called) was a massive campus, with several large buildings, all of which were capable of holding up to 5,000 people in them. Along with that, there were at least three dome shaped buildings, the largest of which was comparable to the Roman Colosseum. These were the dueling arenas. There was only one word Yuna could use to describe this place, and that was "Dayum!"

As the tour went on, Yuna and his friends were impressed much more. Their state of the art Dueling Technology was enough to impress even Seto a bit (and that's saying something), but no one knew what it was doing to Yuna...

"And here is the school's pride and joy: The Action Duel Dome!"

They were currently in the Colosseum like building, which had many rows of seats, as well as quite a few concession stands. But in the middle of the arena was where their focus was. There was a large rectangular area in the middle of the arena. It looked too big to be any standard dueling arena, and Yuna was able to tell from the start it was NO standard dueling arena. But there was one question that they had, that Kano asked:

"What the heck is an 'Action Duel'?"

Yuna smiled, and said, "It's a new type of duel allows you to duel in arenas based on field spells, such as Jurassic World or Mausoleum of the Emperor. And the Holograms of the monsters are so realistic that you can actually interact with them.

"Well, since you know about it," Jackal says, "Would you like to give it a try?"

Yuna immediately said "Heck yes!" But before he could, he got pushed aside by someone. "What's the big idea, guy!?"

The tall man looked back, and Yuna could tell who it was. "How's it going Yuna," the man asked, "You look well." Kano looked over, and saw him. Very shocked, he asked "Wake? Is that you?"

Wake simply smiled and said "The one and only, and I'm here for one specific purpose." Pointing his finger in the direction of Yuna, the next words out of his mouth summed up his intent:

"Yuna Kaiba, I challenge you to an Action Duel!"

Yuna just stood there and said "Are you serious, Wake? Heck no!" But then Jackal smiled, and said "Sorry to say, but you have to."

"What?"

"You obviously don't know my school's rules, Yuna, so allow me to explain. Anytime a student of my Academy challenges someone to a duel on MY campus, they must accept."

"But he's not a student here."

"Yes," Yuna heard a voice say from behind them, "But I am!" Looking behind him, he saw another tall man, with dark brown hair, and dull grey eyes appear. He said, "I am Will, and I challenge you to a Double Action Duel!"

Yuna just focused his attention back on Wake, before asking, "And let's just say I agree to this Action Duel. What makes you think it'll end any differently than our last duel?"

"Because I have three new cards, one of which, I'm absolutely certain you'll recognize."

No one liked the smirk on Wake's face, but considering Yuna was a rule follower, he simply told the older boy "I accept." Immediately after, he said to himself, "So I need a teammate then..." looking back to see everyone that was here. Before any others could volunteer, Lana came out of the group and said "I want in!"

"You sure, Lana?"

Her smile spoke louder than her words, but she still said "Absolutely! I've been needing an excuse to team up with you." This got a light chuckle out of the boy.

"Well then, Yuna," Wake said "Prepare to be destroyed. Cause me and Will are gonna destroy you! But sad to say, you can't use that type of Duel Disk in an Action Duel. Take these."

Yuna and Lana were both given a small machine, Yuna's being white, and Lana's being red. It was reminiscent to a normal D-Pad, except more compact. The moment Yuna put it near his wrist, a metal bracer came out, and attached to his wrist. Then a compartment opened up, revealing where his deck is supposed to go. This was a Duel Disk style he had never seen.

Regardless, they put their decks in, and ran down to the arena, only to see Wake and Will down there, waiting for the duel to start. And with three little words, it began:

"Action Duel! Start!"

* * *

Wake said "Since I'm nice, I'll let you choose the arena, Yuna." Looking at the screen on his D-Pad, Yuna saw a set of options, as well as a symbol shaped like a magnifying glass (which he assumed was the 'Search' option). Touching it, a keypad appeared, and within typing in 'D-r-a-g', the stage he wanted appeared.

"Dragon Ravine!"

In an instant, the massive rectangular area they were in whirred to life, materializing the large stage. They were sent high into the air, and several dragons appeared in the sky. It was likely clear from the street that an Action Duel was happening.

Then, the two D-Pads on the arms of Kaiba and Yuki whirred to life, and then, an energy blade appeared on each. Yuna's energy blade was pure blue (save a black area where the cards go), and Lana's was pure yellow (save the same black area on Yuna's). This was like nothing they had ever seen before, but because they were in a duel, they decided to keep cool.

"It's my go," Yuna said, drawing a card. "And I'll start by playing White Dragon Ritual! Now by sending Shodan Ryo from my hand to the grave, I can ritual summon Paladin of White Dragon!"

(A white armored warrior riding an infant Blue Eyes White Dragon appears. ATK: 1900/DEF: 1200)

"And next, I play Monster Reincarnation to get back said Shodan! Now I'll normal summon him, and then, use his effect to special summon Silver Divine: Student Magician!"

(A blonde haired Aikido fighter appears. ATK: 1600/DEF: 2200)

(A little boy dressed in a robe, wielding a small staff, appears. ATK: 700/DEF: 900)

"And since Student Magician gains 300 Attack and Defense for each Spell or Trap on my field, I'll set my last 2 cards face down!"

(Student Magician's ATK: 1300/DEF: 1500)

"Paladin, I need a lift," Yuna said, getting on the back of the young dragon, flying down into the Ravine. As Ryo and Student Magician follow, Yuna said "You're move, Lana!"

From on top of the cliff that Lana was standing on, she thought to herself _'Alright Lana, let's make this a good move. You're trying to impress Yuna here.'_ Looking at her card, she immediately had a plan. "I play this! Polymerization fuses Avian and Burstinatrix together! With that, I fusion summon Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer!"

(A warrior wearing red and black, with Avian's wings, a dragon's tail, and metal claws, appears. ATK: 2100/DEF: 1200)

"And next, I set two cards face down and end my turn."

Down in the bottom of the Ravine, waiting in the forests, was Yuna. He was with Paladin, Shodan, and Student Magician, waiting for an attack (at least that's what she thought he was doing). If Lana wanted to impress Yuna, she was going to have to pull off something impressive...

"My turn," Wake yelled from the other side of the ravine, "And from my hand, I play Cost Down, to summon my strongest monsters easily! I play Skull Archfiend of Lightning, and then play Double Summon to summon Castle Gate!"

(A creature reminiscent to a meaner looking Summoned Skull appears. ATK: 2500/DEF: 1200)

(A stone gate with arms, and a red and gold door, appears. ATK: 0/DEF: 2400)

"And in the first turn, I get one of my three new monsters! I tribute Skull Archfiend and Castle Gate, to Reaction Summon, Anti-Armor Dragon!"

(In a massive flash, out pops a massive black machine with gold trim, shaped like a dragon, with three plasma blasters, one coming out of it's mouth, one out of the top of each wing. ATK: 2800/DEF: 3200)

"Welcome my new ace card to the field! Your move, Will!"

Will's deep brown eyes showed his arrogance without him having to make a single remark. "I draw," he said, pulling out a card and smirking at it. "I play this! Card Destruction! Now we all discard our hands to get new ones!"

With that everyone began to draw new hands. Yuna got none (as he set his face downs, emptying his hand of cards), Wake got 2, Lana got 1, and Will got 5.

"And now, I play MY Cost Down, and summon Swamp Battleguard! Next, I play Battleguard Revival to bring back my Lava Battleguard!"

(Two ogre-like creatures wielding giant clubs appear. Swamp Battleguard's ATK: 1800/DEF: 1500. Lava Battleguard's ATK: 1550/DEF: 1800)

"And next, I end my turn by playing a face down! Let's see what you can do, Yuna!"

* * *

From the bottom of the Ravine, Yuna put something in his jacket pocket, and said "I draw!" Looking at the card, he got the exact card he wanted. "Now, I tribute Paladin of White Dragon to play one of my Blue Eyes! Come on out Drei!" And in a flash, out came a mighty Blue Eyes, this one having a serious look in his eyes.

And as soon as it was summoned, Yuna hopped up on it's back, and flew back up, saying "And I'll use it to attack your Lava Battleguard!"

"Not quite," Will told him. "Because I banish Necro Gardna from my grave to negate the attack!"

"Fine by me, because I'll end my turn with this! I tribute Shodan Ryo and Student of Magic to reaction summon Silver Divine: Crescent Pikeman!" With that, the silver armored warrior, with the golden bladed crescent pike, appears.

(ATK: 3100/DEF: 2700)

"Back to you once more, Lana! You got this!"

Up at the top of the Ravine, Lana was blushing like crazy. Being complimented by Yuna about her dueling skills made her extremely happy, especially considering her opinion of him. _'I really hope one of these days, he'll pick up on it.'_

But off of that, she drew her card, and said "I'll activate Fusion Gate! Now I can fusion summon without Polymerization! So I fuse Sparkman and Clayman in my hand to make Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!"

(A massive warrior covered in gold and white armor, with a light blue orb in his chest, appears. ATK: 2400/DEF: 1500)

"And next, I play Winged Kuriboh in defense mode!"

(a Kuriboh with wings appears. ATK: 300/DEF: 200)

"And with that, I end my turn!"

"Well then," Wake said "This'll be easy! I draw!" It was apparent he drew something good, just by the smug grin on his face. "And now I play the spell card Anti Armor Assault!" His grin just got more smug as he looked at Yuna, "And I'll use the ability to make 2 Anti-Armor Tokens!"

(Two creatures similar to smaller versions of Anti-Armor Dragon appear. ATK: 1500/DEF: 0)

But when these two creatures appeared, there was something he didn't understand. _'Why would he choose my field, and make only two tokens, when he could've made three by choosing Lana's field.'_

Luckily, Wake explained it, telling Yuna "I could have chosen to make three, but for every Anti-Armor Token remaining at the end of the turn, I would lose 500 Life Points. And besides that, I only need two for this summon!"

"What summon?"

It was then, that Wake showed Yuna a card. Its back looked the same as any other card, but Yuna could just... feel it was different. Then Wake turned it around, and Yuna was completely unable to believe what he saw:

"Behold, Yuna! The Blue Eyes White Dragon! The monster you love so much is now serving me!"

* * *

There was a small pause between Wake showing Yuna the card and actually playing it, but it felt like an eternity to Yuna. It was unfathomable for Yuna. As far to his knowledge, the three 'Blue Eyes' in his deck were the only three in the world, so the fact that Wake had one...

"Where did you get that card," Yuna asked, obviously sounding very annoyed and confused. Wake just smiled and said "A blonde dude in a hoodie gave it to me. Something about wanting to test something. I wasn't really paying attention..."

"No! That can't be!"

"Having a hard time accepting the idea of your favorite card in someone else's deck, are we?"

All Yuna could do was continue to be annoyed. _'This doesn't make any sense,'_ he thought, _'Ein, Zwei, and Drei are supposed to be the only Blue Eyes on the planet! Was I... mislead? Are there more Blue Eyes out there? But... that can't be possible...'_

* * *

From the sidelines, where none of the duelists could hear, Seto was saying "There is no way this is real... Yuna owns the only three Blue Eyes in the world." Jackal, who was standing right next to Seto, asked "I thought there were FOUR Blue Eyes."

"... There were... but only three remain. The fact that Wake is using a card that only my grandson should have..."

"Are you implying what I think you're implying, Mr. Kaiba?"

"There is no other way for this to add up. I just hope Yuna realizes before it's too late."

* * *

Back on the battlefield, all Yuna was doing was looking on in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing. Wake snapped him out of his trance by saying "But I won't attack with him just yet! I wanna savor destroying you with your own monster! Your move Will!"

Will drew his card, and said "And now, I'll play my card! I tribute Swamp Battleguard and Lava Battleguard for this!" And for the second time that day, Yuna couldn't believe his eyes. Will pulled out the same card that Wake had just played: A 'Blue Eyes White Dragon'...

He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew he couldn't believe it. Three copies of his favorite card were now on the field, but not all of them were his...

 _'... Dammit, Yuna,'_ he mentally yelled at himself, _'Don't you DARE give up! You've been in much tougher spots than this, and still came out on top! You can do this!'_ Now that he had said this, he was standing tall once more, and had the same determination that was seen in the eyes of his dragon. "Listen up, Wake," he yelled from the other side of the ravine, "I don't know how you or Will got those Blue Eyes, but it doesn't matter anyway! They'll still lose in the end!"

Wake looked at Yuna, his smile saying he enjoyed hearing the vigor in his words. And as Yuna continued, the power of his words was staggering:

"I won't lose to you just because you have these cards! There's only one duelist left who can bring out the full potential of these Dragons, and that's ME!"

* * *

From atop the Action Duel Dome, a young man sat. He had messy blonde hair, with golden colored eyes, and a light goatee. He was currently dressed in a black hoodie (with the sleeves cut off, showing off his impressive biceps) with a white tank top underneath, and wearing a pair of faded white jeans, and a pair of black Sneakers. Along with that, he had one thing in particular that was interesting:

A golden Duel Disk, sporting the Eye of Anubis on it.

"So then," this young man said, "Looks like Wake's having fun messing with Yuna. But considering the fact that I gave him a card that should have only three playable copies, all of which Yuna owns, I can see WHY he'd be shocked." He chuckled, and thought _'I can't wait to see how he wins this duel. And of course, I'll be taking back my Blue Eyes after this.'_ Focusing his attention back to the duel, he saw Yuna standing tall against the two Blue Eyes, his determination being shown in his monster, Drei.

 _'Well, Yuna. Let's see if your Card Spirits can beat the hollow cards I gave them.'_

* * *

 **So this chapter was... a chapter. It's also going to be a two parter, which means that Yuna and Lana will continue to work together in the next chapter.**

 **I have plans for the next chapter to involve Lana's 'opinion of Yuna', and to add in a custom Action Card. Also, MASSIVE foreshadowing in this chapter. Mainly involving Yuna and Lana, but also with the 'Blonde dude in a hoodie' who I revealed at the end. He is going to be important later on, as is the golden Duel Disk (so remember them).**

 **But with that out of the way, CUSTOM CARDS!**

 **Silver Divine: Student Magician (LIGHT, Level 3, Spellcaster/Tuner, ATK: 700, DEF: 900): This card gains 300 ATK for every spell or trap card on your field.**

 **Anti-Armor Dragon (EARTH, Level 8, Machine/Reaction/Effect, ATK: 2800/DEF: 3000): 1 Earth type monster and 1 Dark type monster. When this card is Reaction Summoned successfully, destroy all Defense Position monsters on the field. During a battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster whose DEF in lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.**

 **Anti Armor Assault (SPELL): You can then special summon 1 'Anti-Armor Token' (EARTH, Level 4, Machine/Token, ATK: 1500/DEF: 0) for every Monster card on your opponent's side of the field. When your turn ends, destroy the tokens, and take 500 points of damage for every 'Anti-Armor Token' on your side of the field.**

 **Battleguard Revival (Trap): Special Summon 1 'Battleguard' Monster from your graveyard.**

 **And lastly, I don't know what pairings I'm doing yet, so don't you dare assume Yuna x Lana is part of this canon just yet.**

* * *

 **Next time, the Battle of the Dragons, and some emotional turmoil for Lana...**


	7. Ep 7: 'Wake Returns' Part 2

If there was one word to describe the current tone of this match, it was 'intense.'

Yuna had only 1 of his three Blue Eyes on the field, but he was standing tall as if he had his Ultimate Dragon out. He had no intention of losing this battle...

"Say your prayers, Wake! I draw," he said, pulling a card out of his deck. Will asked, "And how do you intend to beat either of us with 1 card?"

"When this card happens to be this: the Trap Card 'Pot of Rebirth'!"

"Rebirth," Wake asked, "What does that card do?"

"I can only activate this card when I have no cards in my hand except for it. Now I can Draw from my deck until I have five cards. But the only cards I can accept are spells, traps, and monsters Level 4 or lower. Everything else, I have to send to the Graveyard." Putting his hand on his deck, Yuna said "So let's see if I'm lucky!"

He drew up until his fourth and fifth card, which he was forced to send to the graveyard. Immediately after, he drew two more, and nodded. "Alright! It's time for another go at this! I first play Dark Factory of Mass Production, to get two normal monsters back from my grave. And it just so happens that both monsters I sent to the grave were normal monsters."

 _'He went from 1 card to 6 in a single move,'_ Wake thought to himself, _'I'm liking this. I want to see more of this Yuna. C'mon, man. Don't let me down!'_

"And next, I discard Electric Virus! Now I get control of your Anti Armor Dragon for 1 turn!"

(Anti-Armor Dragon vanishes, and reappears on Yuna's side of the field. ATK: 2800)

"And next, I use it to attack you Blue Eyes!"

"But why? It's attack is lower."

"Right now, yes. But after this card, not so much! From my field, I play the trap Homefield Advantage. Now when facing a monster who isn't the same element..."

Wake sighed, and completed Yuna's effect sadly. "It can decrease it's attack by 500..."

"Bingo!"

(Anti-Armor Dragon shoots the Blue Eyes with it's Plasma Shots. Wake's LP: 3700)

"And that also means Drei can attack you directly! White Lightning!"

"Not quite," Will spoke up, "I play my Shield of Assistance. Now I can give him my Blue Eyes to take the attack!"

"Well, sorry to say," Lana said, "but you can't win in the end. I chain the card Kunai with Chain, to give his Blue Eyes an extra 500 attack!"

(Will's Blue Eyes gets destroyed in an instant. Wake's LP: 3200)

The moment he saw this, Yuna raised an eyebrow. "Will," he said, " why, pray tell, would you be willing to sacrifice your dragon, other than for a chance to get rid of mine?" Will gave a smug grin, and said "Simply so we both can do this! By banishing the Blue Eyes off from our graves, we each activate 'Blood Rune of Evil' to each summon our most powerful monster!"

In an instant, there were two monsters on the field. One was a covered in black armor with red highlights, and a red bladed sword. The other is covered in maroon robes, with black highlights, and a black wizard staff.

Will smiled, and said, "Welcome my Bloodlust Knight, and Wake's Bloodlust Sorcerer!"

(Bloodlust Knight's ATK: 3200/DEF: 1600)

(Bloodlust Sorcerer's ATK: 3000/DEF: 1500)

Yuna gave an arrogant smirk, and said "Well, at least they're gone! I couldn't stand to look at those fakes for one more second!" Wake was obviously confused on what Yuna meant, so he asked "What are you saying?"

"Your Blue Eyes White Dragon cards are counterfeits! Fakes made to mess with people. I'm assuming me especially."

From a distance, the hooded man thought to himself _'Impressive. I wonder how he figured it out so quickly?'_ But on the field, Yuna continued, saying "I will admit, it was a pretty convincing forgery. Whoever made those cards has some genuine skill."

Will simply scowled, and gave the snarky retort of "How do you know that they're fakes?"

"I had wondered about how you got these cards when only I should have 'em. And then I remembered something my grandpa told me when I first got this deck."

* * *

 _ **"Yuna, take these," Seto Kaiba told his 6 year old grandson, handing him three Duel Monsters cards "Now that you're entering your fist tournament, I figure it's time to upgrade your deck. These were my three most prized cards, and the card my entire dueling deck was based around. And now, they're yours."**_

 _ **"Blue Eyes White Dragon," Yuna asked, "Amazing! They're so powerful!"**_

 _ **"Indeed. They were so powerful when created, that Industrial Illusions cancelled production on them. Only three exist, and I owned all three. Now they're yours."**_

* * *

"And once I remembered that, I knew at an instant that yours were fakes! And now, they're gone!"

"Way to go, Yuna" complimented Lana, before Will said "Who asked you!? You know what, I don't care. Just go, little girl!"

"Your move, Lana," Yuna told her, his mind set on the thing in his jacket pocket. Lana nodded, saying "Right. Here goes nothing!" Drawing her card, she played it down, "I play my Pot of Rebirth!" She drew her 5 cards, and then said, "Now I'll draw another card with Jar of Greed, and then summon Elemental Hero Heat. Now that I have him on the field, I have all I need. Now I tribute him with Thunder Giant to reaction summon a new card. Hero Dragon!"

(A massive green and black dragon, wearing a cape and mask, with a giant sword in it's hand, appears. ATK: 3150/DEF: 2950)

"And now because of it's effect, Dragons and Warriors on either side of the field can't be destroyed this turn. Also, Hero Dragon gains 200 attack points for every one of my heroes in my grave."

(HERO Dragon's ATK: 4150)

"And even though it can't be destroyed, I'll be attacking your Bloodlust Knight."

(Will's LP: 3050)

"Thanks for being dumb, Lana," Will told her, "Because now I can activate the trap Bloodlust Deceit. Now, not only can I destroy your monster, but I can also take a card from your hand. It may cost me 500 life points, but well worth it!"

(Will's LP: 2550)

Suddenly, a projection of the 1 card in Lana's hand, and Will took it. "Your Elemental Hero Hyperion is now mine!" And it was clear by the look on Lana's face that she was distraught at losing it. "No," she said, "I need that card!"

"Well sorry to say," Will told her arrogantly, "But it's mine now! And anything you had plans to do with it are now foiled!" It was then that Lana said something she didn't want to say.

"But I needed that to impress Yuna!"

The moment she realized she had said this, she covered her mouth with her hands. "So then," Will said arrogantly, "That's why you wanted to team up with him." There were too many hints as to what he meant, and the blush on her cheeks was one of them.

On the sidelines, Yuna asked, "What's he mean, Lana?" Will gave a cocky smirk, and said "Yes. Please explain it to him." She shook her head franticly, until Will said "Or rather, I could rip up this Hyperion card right here!"

Yuna looked at him and said "You bastard! Don't try to force a lady to say something she doesn't want to!"

"You say that like you don't want to know, Yuna," he said, smirking. Yuna retorted with "Well yeah, I wanna know, but she obviously doesn't want to tell. So don't make her!"

"Well then, I guess I'll just rip up the card here!"

"Okay," Lana exclaimed, "If it lets us put this behind us, then so be it! Yuna, I... I..." Lana paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and said something very quick. But what she said, was not in English:

"Suki desu!"

The fact that they were living in San Francisco, California, most of Yuna's friends didn't know how to speak Japanese (despite coming from Japanese decent). They mostly didn't know what she said, but Yuna understood it perfectly...

She just admitted to liking him.

It wasn't uncommon for her to use Japanese phrases, but it was when she had something to say that she didn't want others to understand. She thought no one else in the group could understand these phrases, and it helped her to say it out loud. But she never knew that Yuna himself could understand everything she said... and now, he was mad at Will.

Lana and him had known each other since the school year started, and despite not knowing her as long as Janine or Kano, or... heck, even Weevil, Yuna still considered the girl a great friend. And right now, he was going to make sure she didn't have to feel embarrassed.

But he didn't know that back with Lana, she was beating herself up on the inside about it. _'Goddammit, Lana!'_ she mentally yelled at herself, _'Why are you such a giant COWARD!?'_

On the inside, she believed it to be true. If she couldn't even bring herself to say it in a language she knew he would understand, she was hopeless. _'I mean come on, Lana! It's not like your confessing you've fallen madly in love or anything! You were just telling him you like him! (sigh) I'm hopeless...'_

 _"No you're not,"_ Lana suddenly heard a voice say. It was the voice of a young man, and she could tell the voice was coming from her head. She couldn't pinpoint who it was, but she went with her gut, and asked _'Grandpa? Is that you?'_

 _"You bet, kiddo!"_ The young man's voice said confidently. His voice reminded her of her grandpa Jaden's, only younger. It seemed impossible, so Lana asked _'How are you even talking to me!?'_

 _"You could say I'm sending you a message from the Great Beyond. But that's not the point. What's got you so down?"_

Lana hung her head low, and said to 'Jaden', _'I'm never gonna get anywhere with Yuna.'_

 _'And why's that?'_ 'Jaden' asked, before Lana said _'Didn't you just hear that whole ordeal from before?'_

 _"Yeah, I heard it,"_ 'Jaden' told her, _"But that doesn't mean your hopeless. They say Rome wasn't built in a day. Well Rom-ANCE isn't built in a day either."_

Lana looked over at Yuna, to see him smiling at her. It was the kind of smile that she grew to like in the first place. _'Alright Grandpa,'_ she thought, _'It may be a longshot, but I'm gonna try!'_ As soon as that whole ordeal was done, Will went "LANA!" and she looked over to him. He said "What was that?"

"Dammit Will," Yuna told him, "Can you stop? She said her thing, so leave her alone!" Will scowled, and said "Fine then. Say goodbye to Hyperion!"

But before he could rip it even the slightest bit, he received a punch right to the face. And amazingly enough, the punch came from his teammate.

* * *

On the ground, Will looked at Wake, and asked, "What's your problem!?" Wake simply looked at him with an annoyed face, and said, "You're the problem! And you're not ripping up this card! Lana! End your turn!"

"Oh... Okay! I end my turn!"

"Then it's mine," Wake says, "And I play Pot of Avarice, to shuffle five monsters back into my deck, and then draw 2 cards!" And as he drew these 2 cards, he said "And next, I play Bloodlust Robin Hood! Now I can choose any card in any other players hand, and give it to another person! And so, I choose Hyperion, and give it back to Lana!"

As soon as that was said, the card went flying at Lana, who caught it. Then Will got up and said "WHY!? You son of a bitch! I was going to beat 'em with that!" Wake's retort was "I don't care! I'm not letting us win that way! I agreed to be your teammate because I wanted to beat Yuna in a FAIR duel, not win through mind games and cheating!"

"Well, you cheated too, so don't act like you're a saint!"

Wake said in a low growl, "And I have no intention of doing that again. But after what I just saw from you, I am no longer your teammate!"

"Well either way, Yuna and Lana are never going to beat me!"

"We'll see about that!" Wake retorted, "My turn isn't over yet! I play Graceful Charity, and draw three cards, and send two away! Now I can play the card Bloodlust Sacrifice! Now I can give up my Bloodlust Sorcerer to get rid of any other monster on the field! And the monster I choose is... Will's Bloodlust Knight!"

(Bloodlust Sorcerer goes over to Bloodlust Knight, and both monsters are destroyed.)

"And to end my turn, I attack Will with my Anti-Armor Dragon!" With the command given, 'Anti-Armor Dragon' turned toward Wake, and attacked. And everyone was certain that if 'Anti Armor Dragon' had eyes, they would have the same anger on Wake's face.

(Will's LP: 0)

"Damn you, Wake!" Exclaimed Will, "I had this in the bag, until you turned on me! Your no better than I am!" With a stoic look, Wake simply said, "I guess I'm not. But one things for sure. I won't stop until I've bettered myself. I end my turn!"

Everyone was both amazed, and impressed by Wake's choice. From a distance, the hooded man was looking at Wake with a smile, and on the field, Yuna and Lana were giving him a look of approval. He told the two of them, "Do your worst."

And before Yuna drew his card, he said "You know what, Wake? After that, I may just respect you!" Looking at his hand, he saw no monsters, but thanks to 'Kunai with Chain', he had it won, "Drei. You know what to do." The 'Blue Eyes' nodded, and shot a white lightning blast at Wake's 'Anti-Armor Dragon', destroying it.

(Wake's LP: 2500)

Lana looked on, and waited for Yuna to end his turn. But before he did, he said " And now I'll activate this Action Card!" Taking a card out of his pocket, Yuna showed it to both of them. Wake said "So you do know how to use Action Cards. Well, which one is it?"

Yuna then smiled at Lana, and said "The Action Spell known as 'Gift From an Admirer'! Now, I can choose 1 card in my hand, and give it to my ally." Taking 1 card out of his hand, Yuna said, "Make good use of it!" When Lana looked at it, she said "Absolutely! I draw!"

Still standing opposite to the two, Wake thought to himself _'Of all the action cards down in that ravine, you choose the one named 'Gift from an Admirer'. Clever, Yuna. Let your cards do the talking.'_

Lana immediately interrupted Wake's thought, by starting her turn. "I'll play Yuna's Spell. Warriors of the World! Now I can summon twice per turn, so long was 1 of those 2 summons is a Warrior. Meaning I can play Kaiser Sea Horse, and tribute it for Elemental Hero Hyperion! And thanks to Warriors of the World, he gains 500 ATK!"

(ATK: 3000/DEF: 2200)

"Now I use him to attack you directly!"

"Then I'll play Dian Keto the Cure Master to increase my life points by 1000."

(Wake's LP: 3500)

"No matter! Because thanks to Warriors of the World, Hyperion gains another 500 attack points when he attacks! Hyperion, attack with Supernova Fist!"

(Hyperion's fist is englufed by bright light, and hits Wake directly. Wake's LP: 0)

* * *

"And that's game!"

As soon as that was said, the battlefield of 'Dragon Ravine' started to descend back into the ground. The amazingness that was the Action Dueling Arena had turned back to the way it was. The duel was over, and Yuna and Lana had won.

As the two approached their friends, they were greeted by what equated to a dogpile. Kano, Jainine, and Tora had all attempted to hug them at the same time, the end result being them falling on the ground.

"Goddammit, guys," Yuna said as he got up off the ground, "And right as I was about to say something." Janine laughed, and told him "Sorry, Yun. But we had to. That was epic."

"Thanks. But I was lucky to have a good teammate."

Lana blushed, and said "Well, I'm glad to hear that." There was a bit of silence between the two afterword, but then Yuna decided to break the silence, saying "So Lana... you said you wanted to impress me back there?"

Lana blushed and told him, "Yeah... I did. I think you're really amazing. And... uh..."

Yuna gave her a trademark Kaiba smirk, and said "Well, color me impressed. In fact, color me impressed since the first turn. I couldn't have ASKED for a better dueling partner." And once again, Lana blushed, and said, "Thanks."

"Off of that," Kano said, cutting in to the conversation, "You guys make a good team. But what I wanna know is where those other Blue Eyes came from." Only a moment after doing so, another man appeared. "That would be me."

Yuna looked at who he was talking to, and he was intimidated...

It was the hooded man.

"So," he said, his voice soft, but at the same time confident and commanding "You're Yuna Kaiba, eh? What'dya think of my forgeries. Pretty impressive, right?"

Giving a simple scowl, Yuna said "Of all the cards in the game of Duel Monsters, you had to choose the Blue Eyes."

"I just go with whatever I feel like doing. But I wanna know how you figured out they were fakes so quickly. My forgery skills are second to none."

"I just remembered there were only four ever made, and my grandpa... ripped one up."

It was at this moment that Kano stepped in, and said "So he was the one who done it." Seto looked down and said "Yes... I was a young and arrogant boy, and I didn't want the Blue Eyes to be used against me."

"Well, I still have it," Kano said, pulling out a small box from his bag. He opened up the box to reveal a card. But not just any card, but a 'Blue Eyes White Dragon' held together with tape. The hooded man took notice of it, and said, "So that's the fourth Blue Eyes I've heard of. I'll have to make you a copy."

"You know," Yuna interrupted, "You keep talking about your counterfeiting. What are you, some kinda next-gen Rare Hunter or something?" To this, the hooded man scoffed, and said, "Please. The Rare Hunters were amateurs compared to me. Those Blue Eyes I gave to Wake and Will each only took me about a half an hour." It was only then that Yuna was impressed.

"Who are you," Yuna asked the hooded man.

"No one of consequence."

"I must know."

"Then get used to disappointment."

These were the last words out of the hooded man's mouth, but as he left he left behind two things: A Duel Monsters card, and a note. Opening the note, Yuna read it aloud:

"If you know what's good for you, you and all your friends will enter the dueling tournament known as the 'Revival Cup' two months from now. Additionally Yuna, here is a card that may just be useful to you. And don't worry. It's real. I chose to give you this card because it represents you in a way, and may just save you in the future. Enjoy it."

Looking at the card on the ground, he saw what it was. It was a card that he had never seen before: 'The Knight with Five Souls'. But something about seeing this card made him feel... powerful. But he didn't know how it represented him.

"Curious," Yuna said to himself, "But regardless, I guess I might just have plans for two months from now. But first, I guess I better get home." It was then that Jackal said, "So you have decided against my school?"

"Sad to say, but yes."

Jackal simply smiled and said, "Well, after that display, I can only say you've impressed me. So as a thank you for letting me watch such a duel, I'm holding a Turbo Dueling class tonight, and I want you to attend as my guest."

"Well, absolutely," Yuna said, "But for right now, I'm going back home." And before he left, he looked back at Lana, and said "And by the way... kirei da."

And with that, he left, leaving Lana there with a smile on her face.

* * *

 **Well, there you have it. There's that chapter, as well as the end of that two parter. And next chapter is episode 6 (because I refuse to make two parters work like that). A few things real quick. First, I couldn't put in my friend's OC this chapter, but I plan to put him in one of the next two.**

 **Next, I'm certain anyone could figure out why I made the card 'The Knight with Five Souls' for the card that represents Yuna, and if you can't, you either haven't read through the lines enough, or you haven't read ANY of this.**

 **Third, in case you want a little bit of japanese to use in real life, 'Suki desu' means 'I like you', and 'kirei da' means 'You are beautiful.'**

 **And last, this 'Revival Cup' tournament is the major part of the first arc of this fic. And the counterfeiter is still going to be a major character (so keep your eyes peeled).**

 **And with thst out of the way...**

 **Custom Cards:**

 **Shield of Assistance (TRAP): (This card can only be used in a double duel) When your opponent declares an attack on your ally, you can choose a monster on your side of the field to become the attack target instead.**

 **Blood Rune of Evil (RITUAL SPELL): When a Level 8 monster is destroyed, you can baninsh it from your graveyard to special summon 1 'Bloodlust' monster from your hand or deck.**

 **Bloodlust Sorcerer (DARK, Level 8, Spellcaster/Ritual/Effect, ATK: 3000/DEF: 1500): You can only summon this card through 'Blood Rune of Evil'. When this card battles an opponent's monster, you can increase this cards ATK by 500, while also decreasing your opponents ATK by 500. When this card is destroyed, you lose 500 LP.**

 **Bloodlust Knight (DARK, Level 8, Warrior/Ritual/Effect, ATK: 3200/DEF: 1600): You can only summon this card through 'Blood Rune of Evil'. When this card destroys an opponents monster by battle, any battle damage your opponent takes is doubled. When this card is destroyed, you lose 500 LP.**

 **Bloodlust Deceit (TRAP): When you control a 'Bloodlust' monster that is targeted for an attack, you can pay 500 life points; Negate the attack, and take 1 card from your opponent's hand for your own use.**

 **Bloodlust Robin Hood (SPELL): (This card can only be used in a tag team duel) Activate only if you control a 'Bloodlust' monster. You can choose 1 card from any players hand. Take that card, and give it to any other player you choose.**

 **Bloodlust Sacrifice (SPELL): Send 1 face-up 'Bloodlust' Monster you control to the graveyard; destroy 1 card on the field.**

 **Gift from an Admirer (ACTION SPELL CARD): (This card can only be used in a team duel.) Give 1 card in your hand to your ally.**

 **Warriors of the World (CONTINUOUS SPELL): While this card is on the field, you can summon twice per turn, but only if one of the cards you summon is a Warrior. All face up Warrior type monsters gain 500 ATK, as well as an additional 500 when attacking. Destroy this card on your 3rd standby phase after it's activation.**

 **HERO Dragon (LIGHT, Level 10, Dragon/Reaction/Effect, ATK: 3150/DEF: 2950): 1 Light type monster + 1 'HERO' monster. (This card is also treated as a Warrior type monster). While this card is on the field, all Warrior or Dragon type monsters on either side of the field cannot be destroyed by battle until the standby phase of your next turn. For every 'HERO' monster on your field, or in your graveyard, this card gains 200 ATK.**

* * *

 **Next time, the duel before the trip...**


	8. Ep 8: The New Guy

Class at the 'Seto Kaiba Memorial Dueling Academy', was never boring, especially for Yuna and his friends. Right now, they were in first period, which was currently taking place in one of the school's dueling arena.

Their teacher had told them about two new students, who they had the right to challenge today.

The first of the two was an intimidating sight to see. He was 6 feet tall, with obvious muscles under his black tank top, long and messy black hair, and emerald green eyes. He wore a pair of black school slacks, and the Blue School Jacket, as well as wearing a pair of sunglasses on his head.

"What's up," the new student said, his voice proud and confident "Name's Brandon Monarco!"

And then, out came another student; a female, dressed in the standard girl uniform for the school (blue jacket and black skirt). She looked about 5'6, and had mid-length maroon-ish hair with streaks of black running through it. Her eyes were a deep amethyst color, similar to that of Kano's, and they were piercing, despite showing the girl didn't have much confidence.

"Hi," she said quietly, with her hands in her jacket pockets, "I'm Aria Fudo."

Many of the students in the class were focused on Brandon, but Yuna, Kano, and Janine had their focus on Aria. "What'dya think," Janine asked, "Judging by how quiet she was, it looks like she's not too big a fan of people."

Yuna nodded in agreement, and said "Yeah. But I heard her. She said her last name was Fudo. I remember reading about a famous Turbo duelist with that name." Weevil had overheard, and said "You mean Tetsu Fudo?"

"Actually, I mean Yusei Fudo. I wonder if they're related."

"He was my dad."

The four teens practically jumped out of their skins when they heard the voice. Turning around to see Aria Fudo standing there, Kano was the first one to say anything. And what he said was "Sorry about that. We didn't notice you there."

"It's okay," she said quietly, "I've been told I'm easy to not notice. Who are you four, anyway?"

"Well, I'm Kano Muto," he said, only to be interrupted by Brandon coming over, and saying "Oh, so you're the one I've heard of? Grandson of the great Yugi?" Kano nodded, and said "Why do you ask."

Brandon looked over at Yuna then, and said "So you must be Kaiba the second. Or is it third?" Yuna was annoyed by that, and said "For your information, the name's Yuna."

"Yuna? Ain't that a girl's name?"

This was Yuna's cue to just groan in annoyance, which is exactly what he did. Brandon shrugged, and said "But anyway, they say you're a good duelist. And I'm looking for a challenge, so let's go. Loser pays the winner 100 bucks."

"Interesting stakes," Kano said quietly, before saying "Okay. I accept." And with that, the two duelists put on their duel disks, and said in unison, "Duel! START!"

A crowd was gathering around the dueling arena, and among them was Yuna, Janine, Lana, and Weevil. Janine was the one to ask, "You know anything about this guy, Yun?" The answer she received is "Only that he's undefeated in the Underground dueling world. They say he's one of the best around. Kano's certainly in for a match."

* * *

(Kano's LP: 4000)

(Brandon's LP: 4000)

"Since I challenged you," Brandon told Kano, "I'll start." Drawing a card from his deck, he hatches a plan. "I'll summon the Six Samurai-Yaichi."

(A man wearing futuristic Samurai Armor, and wielding a large bow appears. ATK: 1300/DEF: 800)

"And next, I'll set two face downs for later. Let's see what you got, Moto-cross."

"Alright then," Kano told him, "My move." He drew his card, and thought to himself _'Alright. The one card that could save me in a tight spot.'_ Getting back to reality, he said "Here's what I'll do! I'll normal summon Skilled Dark Magician, and because I summoned it, I can special summon Gummi Swordsman."

(Skilled Dark Magician's ATK: 1900/DEF: 1700)

(Gummi Swordsman's ATK: 1500/DEF: 1950)

"And next, I'll set a face down, and play the trap card Ro-Sham-Bo!"

Brandon looked puzzled, and asked "Ro-Sham-Bo? What's that?" Kano smiled and told the taller duelist, "We each pick any card from our deck, and then play rock, paper, scissors. Whichever one of us wins gets to add that card to their hand, and whoever loses sends theirs to the graveyard."

"Rock, paper, scissors for a card?" Brandon smirked, and setting "Good thing I'm a betting man. Let's go! I'll choose Photon Wyvern!"

"And I'll choose my Dark Magician, Faust."

"And with that settled, let's go!"

Only a moment after Brandon had declared this, the two had put their hands out, and it was obvious the winner. Brandon had thrown 'Rock', whereas Kano had played 'Scissors'...

"Dammit," Kano said blankly, "Sorry Faust. Looks like your going to the grave." Brandon looked at his opponent and asked, "You talk to your cards?"

Kano then nodded, and said "Call it a weird habit, but I've been talking to my Dark Magicians as of late. Even gave each of 'em names. It's a little bit weird, I know." Brandon just shrugged, and said "I've seen weirder. And plus, it's kinda respectable that you have that much of a bond with your Magicians."

Kano smiled, and said "Thanks. But I'm done. Your move."

Brandon then drew his card, and said "Well well. I guess I'll use your unintentional gift to my advantage. So first, I play Ultimate Offering! Now I can pay 500 life points to summon again! First, I'll summon Skull Knight #2."

(A skeletal knight with a red bladed sword appears on the field. ATK: 1000/DEF: 1200)

"And next, I pay 500 life points, and tribute both monsters to summon an old friend, who's helped me in many many duels. Arise, Photon Wyvern!"

(A massive wyvern made of pure light appears. ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000)

From the sidelines, Yuna mumbled to himself, "Strange that a fiend based duelist would have a Light based dragon in his deck." And back on the field, Brandon continued his turn. He said "And here's the part you may have missed. When Photon Wyvern is summoned, I get to destroy all set cards you control."

And as Kano's face down was destroyed, Kano's response was, "Darn. That was my Skull Dice."

"And next, I'll play Rider of the Storm Winds in defense mode, and end my turn!"

(A young man, wielding a draconic staff, appears. ATK: 500/DEF: 200)

(Brandon's LP: 3000)

As Kano drew his card once more, he thought to himself _'Something tells me I can't trust that face down, so this turn, I'll play it safe, and see how this goes.'_ Then, looking at the card he just drew, he said "Looks like Faust is going to return. I play Monster Reborn, and bring back the Dark Magician you sent to the grave. Welcome back, Faust!"

(The purple clad, blonde haired Dark Magician, known as Faust, appears. ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100)

"Ah," Brandon said, "I see that you're not using your grandpa's Magician. Something tells me that it's resting on a shelf somewhere. After a weapon has been bathed in enough blood, it can be called a trophy. And I'm certain such a mage has bathed in plenty of blood..."

Once Brandon looked over to his opponent, he saw Kano had a very disturbed expression on his face. "Sorry," he said, "Just a bit of a warrior's code thing."

 _'What's up with this guy,'_ Kano thought to himself, _'He seems a bit... off. It's almost as if he knows about the monster spirits. But I thought only people born with that ability could do so.'_

 _"That is normally the case,"_ Kano heard the voice of Xandreo say in the back of his mind, _"But sometimes, a duelist can have a real connection to his cards, and the ability can be forged like that."_

 _'Is that right?'_

 _"I wouldn't be communicating with you via telepathy if it weren-"_

"HEY! Earth to Moto!"

This shocked Kano back to reality, the last thing he heard from Xandreo being _"I'll let you get back to it. Good luck, oh great Tactician."_ He then took notice of his opponent. Brandon was standing there with a smirk on his face. "Ain't got no time to be daydreamin'. It's still your turn."

Kano still felt he couldn't trust that face down, so he said "Well, now it's your turn. I'm done for now."

And from the sidelines, he could hear Yuna say "Come on, Kano! Show him what the Tactician can do!"

Brandon looked puzzled, and asked "'The Tactician'? What's that all about?" Kano's response to this question was "It's my nickname. People call me 'the Tactician' due to my strategy deck."

"So I've heard. You run a candy deck. That's pretty impressive that you can use it so well, considering it's a difficult deck to use. But sorry to say, that against me, the most your candy monsters would do is make me hungry."

Kano simply gave a confident smile, and said "Then make your move, Monarco. Let's see why you're undefeated."

"So you know of what I do," Brandon said with a smirk on his face, "Well then. Let's go! I draw!" Taking a moment to look at his hand, he said "Here's my move. I'll set the card I just drew face down, and then I'll play Tribute to the Doomed! Now by sending Shien's Advisor to the grave, I can destroy one of your monsters. And I choose to destroy 'Faust'."

With the command given, Faust was destroyed, leaving Kano to mumble "Dammit." And back on the sidelines, Kano heard Weevil say "Come on, Tactician. You got this!"

"He's totally got this," Janine said, agreeing with Weevil. The group of friends all agreed, but right next to them, Aria Fudo quietly told the little group "It's not smart to doubt Brandon. He's called the 'Demon King' for a reason."

It was after that sentence, that Lana joined in the conversation. She said "Well, Kano's called the 'Tactician' for a reason. So we'll have to see who has the better strategy." The four friends nodded, and Janine was the one to say, "And there ain't no way Kano's gonna lose."

Though they could tell by Aria's expression, that she still wasn't sure.

* * *

Once again, returning to the battlefield, Kano drew his card. "Alright," he exclaimed, "I got the magic card Candy Draw! Normally, this card would allow me to draw 1 card anyway, but because I have a Candy Monster, I can draw 2."

Kano resolved the effect of this card by drawing from his deck. He looked at both cards, and thought to himself _'Alright! Now that's what I'm talking about!'_

"Well," Brandon asked, "You get anything good?" All Kano did for a response was nod, and say "You could say that. But let me just show you! I set one of the two face down, and activate the other one. The field spell Great Candy War Zone!"

In a flash, the dueling arena, was changed into the war zone. It was a canyon made of rock candy, with a river of root beer being the only thing separating their sides of the field.

"Jeez, man. You're givin' me the munchies here," Brandon exclaimed, "but still, that's an excellent move."

"And it's about to get Excellent-er! Now, I tribute my Skilled Dark Magician, and Gummi Swordsman, to summon my newest magician to the field. Introducing the Black Magician, Xerxes!"

(The black armored Dark Magician, known as 'Xerxes' appears. ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100)

"And now, I activate the effect of the card Candy Alchemist, in my deck. If I successfully summon a level 5 or higher Spellcaster, I can special summon this card. And as we both know, Dark Magician is a level 7."

(A robed warrior, holding an alchemic tome, and a sword made of sour candy, appears. ATK: 1800/DEF: 1900)

"And thanks to Great Candy War Zone, my Alchemist gains 500 attack and defense points. But sad as it is, because I special summoned my Alchemist, I can't attack this turn. So your move, Brandon. Have at it!"

(Candy Alchemist's ATK: 2300)

Everyone in the crowd was now standing on the top of a canyon wall. And they were all incredibly amazed. Kano just got two of his most dangerous monsters on the field in one move. And judging by the expression on Brandon's face, even he was impressed.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Janine exclaimed, "This guy ain't got a chance!"

"Now that's where you're wrong," she heard Brandon say from inside the canyon, "Because I just drew one of my rarest, and most powerful cards. The field spell Hell Zone!"

"Well as you know," Kano told him, "There's already a field spell active. So I have to guess this card has a special effect."

"The most powerful of any field spell I've ever seen!"

"Do tell."

"This card overpowers any other field spell active, destroying it. But in return, we both draw 2 cards."

In an instant, the field spell was changed, causing their field to become a blazing inferno. The land was changed from a land of happiness and candy, to a land of despair and fire. The rock candy they had been standing on, became black rocks, akin to what you would find in a volcano. And the only thing separating their sides of the field was a river of lava.

"Well," Kano said hesitantly, "This certainly is a change of pace... But it changes nothing! I'm not going down without a fight!" He then drew his two cards, Dark Magician, and Gummi Archer. _'Hi, Xandreo,'_ he said to the card mentally, returning his focus to the duel afterword.

"Well, fight on," Brandon told Kano, his voice showing his confidence, "But it's going to be a pretty one sided fight. Because of Hell Zone, Fiend Monsters gain 1000 attack points, and Dragon Monsters gain 500 attack points."

(Photon Wyvern's ATK: 3000)

"But my turn's not done there, because now I'm going to summon a favorite. I tune my Rider of the Storm Winds with my Photon Wyvern to bring forth an ultimate fighter of mine."

 _'An ultimate fighter,'_ Yuna questioned mentally, before hearing Brandon say, "And by the way, Yuna. I heard how you were questioning my first dragon, so you'll be shocked to see this second one. I synchro summon Light End Dragon!"

And in a flash of light, the two monsters had made way for a new one. It was a pure white dragon with angelic wings, golden armor adorned with green gemstones, and a golden helmet piece adorning it's head. And it's red eyes showed the same confidence and determination as Brandon himself.

* * *

(Light End Dragon's ATK: 2600/DEF: 2100)

(ATK + Hell Zone's Effect: 3100)

"Behold," Brandon said to Kano, "This is an ace card of mine. A bringer of light, who carves his path through the darkness. A bringer of power, to me and to all other creatures on my field. And a bringer of victory for me, in this duel, and countless others before it."

"Jeez, is this guy's name theatric or what?"

"I heard that, Wheeler!"

Janine was about to yell back, but she decided against it (mainly because she didn't have a good retort). Brandon said "Anyway, with my 'theatrics' out of the way, I'm going to continue my move. See, now because I summoned a dragon or a fiend, I get to draw another card." He drew one more card, and continued, saying, "Next, I'll normal summon Theban Nightmare, and because of that, I draw 1 more card. But to end my this phase of my turn, I flip my face down, Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant!"

(A small blue haired fairy, with a white dress, red armor, and a sword sheathed on her hip, appears. ATK: 400/DEF: 800)

The crowd had gained mutters among themselves, but Yuna was the one to speak his mind: "First Demons, then Warriors, then Dragons, and now Fairies?! What is this guy?"

"He's a magic man!"

The boy who said this was looked at by the crowd, all of whom had disappointed looks on their faces. In the ring, Kano said "And I am a Gambling Man. Your point?"

"Thank you," sighed Brandon, "So now, I'll summon Theban Nightmare, and draw 1 more card. And then, I tune Valkyrie and Theban Nightmare to synchro summon Blackwing - Nothung the Starlight!"

(A humanoid creature with a bird's head and claws, wielding a black hilted sword, appears. ATK: 2400/DEF: 1600)

"Stupid name!"

"I realize, Wheeler! But it has an awesome effect. When it's summoned, my opponent takes 800 points of damage."

(Kano's LP: 3200)

Only as Kano looked at his Life Point meter did he realize something. He laughed lightly, and said "About damn time ONE of us did some damage. I hadn't realized we hadn't even tried to attack each other yet." Brandon also got a laugh from this, before replying, "And that's because we've both been building our fields. But you're gonna lose this turn. First, I equip Dragon Treasure to increase my Dragon's Attack Points by 300 more points."

(ATK: 3400)

"Also, because of the effect of Nothung the Starlight, I get to summon a second summon if it's a Blackwing Monster. So, I'll also banish Demonic Leveler from my deck, to decrease the level of a monster in my hand by 2. Now, I choose, and then summon, Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn from my hand."

(A warrior with the head, wings, and claws of a raven, appears. ATK: 2000/DEF: 900)

It was at this moment, Kano realized... he wasn't going to win. Brandon simply laughed, and asked, "Impressed?"

"Very..."

"Well then, let's finish this! I attack with Sirocco to destroy your Alchemist."

"Well, you're sadly mistaken. I play Sakuretsu Armor, to destroy it."

At this point, any normal duelist would assume Kano was going to survive this turn. But any duelist who knows about Brandon knew he had a plan. And it was clear the moment he threw up his face down, exactly what that plan was:

'Seven tools of the Bandit'.

"Let me guess," Brandon laughed, "You wanna say 'Dammit' again. Well go ahead. Because now, I destroy Candy Alchemist with Sirocco the Dawn."

(Brandon's LP: 2000)

(Kano's LP: 3000)

(Sirocco is then destroyed a moment later.)

Brandon was lost, and questioned, "Uh... Did I miss something here? 'Cause I destroyed your Sakuretsu Armor." Kano just gave a smile, and said "It wouldn't have mattered either way, because Candy Alchemist is a card that doesn't believe in something for nothing. When it's destroyed, it takes the card that destroyed it down with it."

"Oh..."

In the crowd, Yuna and Janine were on the edge of their seats. They were certain Kano was going to win this turn, but a certain maroon haired girl thought otherwise.

"He can't win, you know," Aria said, her voice having it's same quiet shyness about it. "Brandon's undefeated. And no matter how good Kano is, that fact won't be changing anytime soon." But as she said that, she sounded... upset. Almost as if she was wanting Kano to win.

Which Yuna picked up on, and said "Don't worry. Kano's a great duelist. In fact, I'm certain if he ran an easier to use deck, he'd be on par with what his grandpa was known for." It was obvious that this lifted the girl's spirits a bit. He could see the faintest glimpse of a smile spread across her face, before she said, "Well, I must admit. He does have a lot of heart."

Yuna nodded. "That he does. He's amazing.'

And mentally, Aria added, _'And he's also kinda cute.'_ But she kept that to herself, and returned her focus to the duel.

"Now, I continue," Brandon says, "By having Nothung the Starlight destroy your magician!"

(Nothung slashes through Xerxes, destroying him. Kano's LP: 2300)

"And now, you have no monsters left on your field. Meaning that you've lost. But I admit, you had a good strategy. Now Light End Dragon, attack!"

With the command given, Light End Dragon began to shoot a beam out of it's mouth. And despite the fact that he was staring into the attack, Kano was smirking. Brandon saw this, and asked, "You still plan on putting up a fight or something?"

"I wouldn't be a good 'Tactician' if I didn't always have a backup plan. And luckily, it's one of my favorites. The trap card 'Equivalent Exchange'."

"An alchemy card, eh? Well then, explain yourself."

"It's a card I can only activate when I get attacked directly. It makes my opponent take the same amount of damage I take. So I'm going down, but I'm taking you with me."

And the moment the attack hit Kano, a portion of it went right back at Brandon, sending them both flying.

(Kano's LP: 0)

(Brandon's LP: 0)

* * *

Brandon was the first to get up, by way of handspring. And as he was about to help Kano, he did a kick-up, and returns back to his feet. "Well, well," Brandon said, "I've never had a duel end in a draw before. Quite impressive."

Kano shrugged, and said "Yeah, but I know when I've lost. You were obviously the more skilled of us here, so here." He takes out his wallet, and pulls out a 100 dollar bill. But Brandon says "Nah. Keep your money. Instead, let's just have another duel another time."

"Sounds good to me."

Without warning, Kano was then tackled to the ground by (amazingly enough) Aria Fudo. But a moment later, the girl looked at him, and got back up embarrassed. "Sorry," she told Kano as he stood back up, "When I'm excited, I tend to act on a whim."

"So... you're saying I excite you?"

If Aria wasn't blushing before, she was blushing now. But as it turns out, she had enough confidence to say, "Yes, actually. I've never seen so much heart in a duel against Brandon. It was amazing."

"Was it now?"

"Yeah. Most of his opponents that I've seen were cowering in fear the moment they saw Hell Zone or Photon Wyvern."

"Wow. Those cards must inspire some fear!"

"Yeah. But you were amazing. I've watched quite a few of his duels, but most of his opponents went down in one turn. You, however, did really amazing."

Kano smiled at this, and said "Well, considering I'm facing an underground duelist, that means a lot." Brandon then joined the conversation, and said "I'll admit, you did incredible in that duel. My opponents are rarely so quick to adapt, so I'm impressed."

"Well thanks."

As Yuna and his friends came over to congratulate Kano, they saw his talk with Brandon. Janine was the first to comment, saying "And who says underground duelists are unbeatable?" But Kano, being the humble boy he is, said "Nah, Brandon was the more skilled duelist there. I just happened to have a great card set."

It was then that Aria said "Don't sell yourself short, Kano. You did great. The fact that you were able to beat one of his best card combos should say enough." Kano blushed at this, which cause Aria to ask, "Is something wrong?"

"Wha- No. I'm just... not used to getting complimented by a pretty girl."

"Well, I don't know about pretty, but I am a girl. And if you keep this up, then prepare to get used to it."

Yuna, Lana, and Janine all watched as their friend was making conversation with Aria, and Janine just had to ask, "So, did Kano give you the money?" Brandon's reply was "He tried to, but I decided against it."

"Why," Janine asked, puzzled, "Who turns down a hundred bucks?" Yuna then turns to her and says, "You have heard of the Underground Dueling Championship, right?"

"Of course. Every year, the mob bosses set up a tournament, and the winner gets a million dollars. What about it?"

"Brandon's been the winner. For quite a while now."

After this comment, that Janine just stood there, with a confused look on her face. As Lana was about to clarify it, Yuna hushed her, and whispered, "Don't. Let her 'Wheeler Brain' figure it out."

And only a few seconds after the group had left the building, they heard Janine yell "Wait a minute! He's a millionaire!?"

They were sure Brandon was gonna have a lot of questions to answer after that.

* * *

 **Hey guys! So here's the new chapter. I finally got the chance to add in my buddy's OC, Brandon Monarco (who is going to have some real importance to the storyline). And I think I did good with him. Specifically the duel.**

 **See, I finally had the brilliant idea to write down what happens in a duel, before I put it in a chapter. Before this I was just improvising, and that was okay. But now, I can do the duels quicker, and make them better (as well as more realistic). And enjoy these short duels while they last. It won't be staying this way.**

 **And I wanted to have this chapter focus on the cute Aria x Kano interactions, but it came out with a bit less than I had originally planned for this chapter. But oh well.**

 **Speaking of chapters, I won't be able to get the next chapter up particularly quickly (due to school stuff), but if I see this story is getting some support (reviews, favorites, etc) I will be encouraged to get the next chapter up ASAP. So read, review, favorite. All that stuff.**

 **So now...**

 **Custom Cards**

 **Ro-Sham-Bo! (TRAP CARD): You and your opponent both choose 1 card from your deck. Once the card is decided, you and your opponent play 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' until one of you wins. The winner adds the card they chose to their hand, and the loser sends the card they chose to the Graveyard.**

 **Candy Draw (SPELL): If you control a 'Candy' or 'Gummi' monster when you play this card, you can draw 2 cards. If not, you draw 1 card.**

 **Candy Alchemist (LIGHT, Level 4, Spellcaster/Effect, ATK: 1800/DEF: 1900): You can special summon this card from your hand or deck when a Level 5 or higher Spellcaster monster is successfully summoned. You cannot activate your battle phase the turn you use this effect. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, the card that destroyed it is destroyed as well.**

 **Hell Zone (FIELD SPELL): If there is already a field spell active, destroy it, and both you and your opponent draw 2 cards. While this card is active, fiend monsters you control gain 1000 ATK, and dragon monsters you control gain 500 ATK. Any time you normal summon or special summon a fiend or dragon monster, you can draw 1 card.**

 **Demonic Leveler (DARK, Level 2, Fiend/Effect, ATK: 0/DEF: 0): You can banish this card from your deck to decrease the level of a monster in your hand by 2.**

 **Equivalent Exchange (TRAP): When your opponent declares a direct attack, you can play this card. Your opponent will take the exact same amount of damage to their Life Points as you take from the attack.**

* * *

 **Next time: Something is off with Yuna. Can his friends find out what?**


	9. Ep 9: First Turbo Duel

**I am going to TRY to make this episode great, without giving too much away (I feel like I did that enough with Chapter 2).**

* * *

The trip to Egypt was tomorrow. Everyone knew that Yuna couldn't be more excited for it, and yet he wasn't showing it.

Yuna had always loved Egypt for a number of reasons (one of which being his heritage), and yet, he didn't seem excited to return at all. No one knew the reason...

Well, no one except Yuna.

Right now, he was in his personal dorm (paid for and made by his grandpa), packing. It was a two story dorm, and he and his friends slept on the top floor. And since his friends weren't here right now, that meant he was alone, and had time to think about why he wasn't acting excited.

In all honesty, he was excited for the trip. He would be able to see his great uncles, Odion and Marik, and his cousins, Aaron and Jabari Ishtar. He was particularly excited about seeing Aaron and Jabari, because, other than Roy Kaiba, those two were his only cousins. So, he was of course excited, but he was also a bit worried.

Every night, as of late, he's been 'blacking out'. Of course, he always woke up back in his bed, but he knew his body was doing something without his permission. Though last night was the one that interested him the most...

He was in a turbo duel.

He was riding on his duel runner, and he was semi-able to see the plays his body was making. He saw faded bits and pieces of the duel, and he heard many things. But the things that stuck with him was when his body said 'Let's rev it up!', and the synchro summon of a monster he never played.

Taking a card out of his extra deck box, he saw the card...

 _'Stardust Dragon...'_

This card was known as the ace monster of Yusei Fudo, back when he was a duelist. Yuna had absolutely no idea how this card got in his extra deck, but it was there. And it frustrated him to think about.

 _'Argh! Where do I keep getting these cards?! Ever since that duel with Wake, everything's been wierder than usual!'_

This wasn't the first time he had found a card in his deck that wasn't his. When he was only 7 years old, only a day after the death of Yugi Muto, he had found a 'Dark Magician' card in his deck. Then, when he was 9 years old, he had found the card 'Elemental HERO Neos' in his dueling deck. And then he found out that Jaden Yuki had died only a day before.

And Stardust Dragon. He knew he had this card. He had found it in his dueling deck a day after the death of Yusei Fudo (2 years before now). But it was a card he could never remember playing. The only time he had seen himself play it was in the turbo duel last night. And he wasn't even certain that was even him...

And now, he has the 'Number' cards, that should only be wielded by Yuma Tsukumo. And the worst part was, he got them the day after Yuma died. "I just don't GET IT," he exclaimed, falling down onto his bed.

His mind was about to explode, and he knew it was because of what he didn't know...

CRASH!

Kano practically kicked the door down, and Yuna jumped, then said "Dammit, man! I'm trying to wallow in self pity here!"

"No time for that," Kano said quickly, "We found out something you may wanna know. Follow!" Kano then ran out of the room, leaving Yuna to follow. And where he followed to was the living room, where Janine, Lana, Tora, Aria, and Brandon are all sitting. Kano came over, showing Yuna his tablet, which had a page on the card given to him by the hooded man.

'Psychic makes Duel Monsters cards' was the title of the article. And on the front page was a picture of the card 'The Knight with Five Souls'. Yuna read the article slowly, and what it said shocked him:

"A former employee of Industrial Illusions has been claimed to make one of a kind cards, usable with the Duel Disk system, and has been claiming to keep this information from the company. When asked about it, the employee said 'These cards came to me in a vision. They each represent a person who will be very important one day. I know who each card goes to, except for the card I made, though I am unsure of the reason'."

The words were painful for Yuna to say for some reason. It was almost as if he knew what it was pointing to. But even so, he kept on reading...

"The employee had been fired a few months after this, for releasing private information on a blog. This blog has since been taken down, and all that remained from it was an image of one of the cards, known as 'The Knight with Five Souls'. When asked who this specific card was made for, the employee said, 'A man with five different minds'. This had led the company to assume he designed it specifically for someone with Multiple Personality Disorder. But as the card was recently stolen, the company can only assume."

After finishing this part of the article, Yuna simply set the tablet down, and flopped down on the couch. He couldn't believe what he just read. _'The hooded man said this card represented me. Does that mean I have MPD?'_ But being that he wasn't one to let people know how he's feeling, Yuna simply sighed, and said "Well, this only left me with more questions." And with that, he got off the couch, and walked to the door. Janine, feeling this conversation needed to take a turn, said, "Well, you feel like forgetting forgettin' those questions and duelin'?"

Yuna just shook his head, said "I'm not in the mood," and left. The rest of the group sighed, and Lana said "Welp, looks like we only put him in worse of a mood. I guess one of us better go cheer him up."

"Well then," Janine said "I say since you're his girlfriend, you do that."

Lana then proceeded to blush like crazy, and said "He's not my boyfriend! But... yeah, I'll do it." But only once Lana stood up, did she notice something:

"Where'd Aria go?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the garage, Yuna sat, and found himself staring at the card. There was something about this card that he couldn't shake, and it was like he was being forced to continue returning to it. But he admits that looking at the card, it reminded Yuna of himself.

The creature depicted in the card artwork appeared to be a young man, with a slight tan, and black hair (tipped with crimson bangs) tied into a low ponytail. But other than the light armor, sword, and shield, the creature was essentially a carbon copy of Yuna himself. Even to the point where he had two mismatched eyes: One dark green, one pure white.

And as he stared at the card, he could have sworn it blinked at him...

This startled him, and caused him to drop the card. And after a few seconds, he had regained his composure, and grabbed it off the ground, and continued to look at it.

Then, he heard a voice behind him, saying "Not in the mood to duel, and yet you're staring at a Duel Monsters card?" Turning around, it was revealed that it was Aria. Yuna simply turned to her, and said "This ain't just any card, it's The Knight with Five Souls."

Aria began to walk over casually, and said, "I know. Kano told me how the hooded guy said it represented you." She then took the card, and said "You know, it actually kinda looks like you."

"Yeah," Yuna replied somberly, "I noticed." He then sighed, and Aria tried to push forward by saying, "Well, it's a good card. You should duel with it." But all this did was cause Yuna to sigh, and say, "After all the weird stuff that's going on, it's making me feel I shouldn't. I don't know if you could relate..."

"I can... after all, I'm timid."

Yuna just looked at her, curious to what she meant. So she clarified, saying "I'm afraid sometimes if I duel, I'll just end up embarassing myself. So I don't duel all that often."

"So I've heard. But I heard you learned everything you know from your dad. And unless I'm mistaken, people call him the best Turbo Duelist in history."

"And the Turbo Duels are where I excel. It's just... while I'm out there, riding like there's no tomorrow, I can feel all of my weakness just fade away. But I just can't keep it away. About an hour after I'm off the Runner, I go back to being the timid girl I normally am."

After hearing this, Yuna just looked at her, and said, "I wish I could help," Aria simply smiled, and said "Maybe you can." She then looked at the Duel Runner, then back to Yuna, and said "Let's Turbo Duel. Right now."

Yuna couldn't explain the feeling he was getting, but he had to do it. It was as if something (or someone) inside of him was telling him 'Duel her. It will give you some answers.' So he smiled, and said "Alright then. Let's duel."

This was officially Yuna's first Turbo Duel. He had luckily joined in on the Turbo Dueling Seminar at the Jutetsu Academy the other night, so he wasn't going into this completely clueless. But before anything, he had changed his clothes.

He was now wearing his white hoodie, with all of the same markings on it, with a black undershirt, and a pair of jeans. And the moment he put on his dark blue helmet, he was ready.

Starting up the Runner, he slowly came out of the garage, and noticed Aria, in a Turbo Dueling uniform (akin to a maroon version of what Sector Security would wear back in Satellite, or so Yuna had heard), on a familiar looking Runner. In fact, it was the exact one her dad had owned.

"Going on you're dad's Runner, are we," Yuna asked her. She smiled, and said "My older brother Tetsu inherited the natural skill in Engineering, and I got the Deck and Ride. Now follow me. I know a road around here specifically designed for this. And since you're new to this, I won't use my speed spells."

And with that, they were off. It was then that Yuna noticed the screen on his runner turn on, and a card come up, called 'Speed World X'. And then, a special ring came from the runners, changing their environment to one that signified a Turbo Duel.

It was on.

* * *

Both Duelists revved up the engines of their runners in an instant, and they took off. As they did, Aria said "I'll start! I draw!" And she drew her card, continuing by saying, "And I'll summon Sonic Chick in defense mode."

(A small pink bird with small red boots appears. ATK: 300/DEF: 300)

And as she summoned the card, Yuna noticed the difference in the girl's voice. It was as if he could hear the confidence brimming from her. But he had to focus, mainly because she wasn't done yet.

"And I'll set a face down, and end my turn."

And as Yuna drew his card, he noticed what it was. It was 'The Knight with Five Souls'. The moment he saw this card, he got a splitting headache. But luckily, due to autopilot, he was able to keep from crashing. But once again, like the voice that said 'Accept the challenge', he heard it saying 'Play this card'.

Which is exactly what Yuna did. "It's about time I took this card in for a test drive," he said, "I summon The Knight with Five Souls!" And in an instant of laying the card face up, it appeared. The physical resemblance to Yuna himself was truly uncanny, but the only thing different was what appeared to be a tattoo on the right side of his face. It was written right under his eye, in Hieroglyphics, but Yuna sadly couldn't read it.

(ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200)

"And now that he's out, I can choose one of his five effects."

Aria was puzzled by this, and asked, "Five effects?" Yuna clarified this, by saying, "I get one of five effects. I can choose to make it indestuctible to battle or effects, give my Synchro or Xyz monsters a boost, or make it's own power stronger. And since it's the only card on my field right now, that's exactly what I'll do."

(ATK: 2100)

"And now, I'll use him to attack your Sonic Chick."

(The Knight goes in and swings his sword, but the blade simply bounces off of Sonic Chick.)

All Yuna could do was stare at the creature, and wonder. Well, up until Aria decided to clarify. "Sorry to say, Yuna, that Sonic Chick can't be destroyed by a monster with 1900 or more attack points. So your attack was useless."

' _Dammit,'_ Yuna thought to himself, _'You KNOW this card's effect, so why'd you attack it?'_ He was unable to believe that he had made that mistake. It was as if he wasn't focused...

As he pondered on this, he got another splitting headache, and could hear a faint voice say, _'Let me in. You need me'_. He didn't know what this voice was, but it was a soothing one. It had confidence, but a similar tone of maturity. It was a voice he felt he could trust...

"My turn," Yuna heard from Aria, shocking him back into reality. "I draw... and then I play Synchro Boost! Now, I can increase the attack of a monster by 500, and it's level by 1."

(ATK: 800/LV:2)

"And next, I'll summon Junk Synchron in attack mode."

(A warrior made of scrap metal and spare parts appears. ATK: 1300/DEF: 500)

"Junk Synchron is one of my ace cards, and you'll see why now. I tune my Junk Synchron with my Sonic Chick, to synchro summon Junk Warrior!"

All it took was a few moments, ad the two monsters had left the field to make way for a new warrior. It was humanoid, mostly purple, with hint's of brass on the design. It's obvious it was made of spare parts, but that didn't change the fact that it was a tough looking monster. And the moment that it's eyes lit up, Yuna knew it was ready to fight.

(ATK: 2300/DEF: 1300)

"Welcome, Junk Warrior," Aria smiled, "Now let's show him what you're made of. Attack!"

(Knight with Five Souls is destroyed in an instant. Yuna's LP: 3800)

The moment that the Knight with Five Souls was destroyed, there was a stabbing pain running through Yuna. It was as if the moment the monster was destroyed, he himself got destroyed some. It hurt to see it destroyed, and once he remembered he had 'Negate Attack' on the field, he felt both pain and stupidity.

And if that wasn't bad enough, he could hear the voice once again, and this time, it was more persistent. And as it remained, he could feel a powerful feeling. Like his soul was being pulled away from his body. And when he drew his card, the feeling only intensified, as he began to grit his teeth. "I'll summon Monk Fighter in attack mode," Yuna said, as the silver haired monk appeared.

(ATK: 1300/DEF: 1000)

But the Monk Fighter wasn't impressing Aria in the least. She drew her card, and said "This turn, I'll summon Speed Warrior."

(A grey clad warrior wearing rollerblades appears. ATK: 900/DEF: 400)

"And that's not the end of it," Aria continues, "His attack is doubled on the turn that he is summoned. So I'll use him to attack your Monk Fighter."

(Speed Warrior goes in for an attack, only to be stopped dead in its tracks.)

Aria was confused by what happened, until she noticed the card Yuna just played. "Sorry," he said through his gritted teeth, as he clutched his head. "But you just wasted one battle. My face down was Negate Attack, stopping this fight, and your battle phase." It looked obvious to Aria that Yuna was in great pain, but he wasn't going to give up. So she said "I end my turn," and Yuna drew another card.

"I'll use a special card," Yuna said, once again trying to avoid the fact that he was hurting for whatever reason, "By sending Silver Divine: Disciple of Sin, to the grave, I can draw two cards." Which is exactly what Yuna did.

"Next, I'll summon Hayabusa Knight to the field, so I can do a favorite move. I'll tribute him and Monk Fighter to summon this! Silver Divine: Yujo the Fearless!"

There was only one thing that changed on the field, and that was the monsters on it. Yuna's Knight and Monk had transformed into orbs of energy, and came together to form a new creature. It was a man of average height, muscular, with long blonde hair, tipped with hints of black and red. He was dressed in a traditional Martial Arts Gi, with a pair of Hakama, and sandals. And as he opened his eyes (The left one a deep amethyst, the right one a deep brown), the warrior was ready.

(ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100)

"Now Yujo the Fearless' special ability activates. Now, I can special summon two Normal Monsters from my deck in defense position. And so I'll summon my two Blue Eyes, Ein and Drei!"

(The two Blue Eyes appear on Yuna's field, one with eyes showing confidence, another with eyes showing seriousness. ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500 (each)

"And with that, I end my turn... by special summoning my Silver Divine: Priestess of Light, due to the fact that my Blue Eyes were special summoned."

(The blue haired, white clad priestess, appeared, with her spear-staff pointed at the opponent. ATK: 2400/DEF: 2100)

"My turn then," Aria said, drawing another card. "I'll then play The Warrior Returning Alive, and get back my Junk Synchron. Next, I'll summon him, and use his special ability to bring back Sonic Chick." The two monsters from before return to the field, and Yuna's pain only continues.

"But it doesn't stop there! I tune my Junk Synchron with my Junk Warrior and my Sonic Chick to synchro summon Junk Paladin!"

Then, another new monster appeared on Aria's side of the field. It was a massive humanoid creature, about the same size as Junk Warrior from before, but it was covered with black armor, with a sword in it's left hand (that looked more akin to a giant pocketknife), and a shield in it's right. It's eyes glowed, and showed a powerful warrior.

(ATK: 3000/DEF: 2100)

And the moment Yuna saw this creature, the pain he had felt from before had gone to a level like what he had always assumed death would feel like. As his vision blurred, the voice in the back of his mind said _'Do not worry, Yuna. We will win this fight.'_ With that, all he could see was blackness, and his eyes closed.

"Now Junk Paladin," Aria said, "Attack Yujo the Fearless!"

The command was all the robotic creature needed to head in. It raised it's massive blade, and began to swing at Yujo. Unfortunately for 'Junk Paladin', Yuna opened his eyes the moment the attack started. "Sorry," 'Yuna' said, his voice sounding deeper and more mature, "But that won't be happening. I play Shrink, cutting your Paladin's attack in half!"

(Junk Paladin's ATK: 1500)

(Yujo catches Junk Paladin's sword, and then hits the Paladin in the chest, destroying it effortlessly.)

(Aria's LP: 3000)

Aria looked over to see Yuna. He seemed... different. She didn't know what had changed, but she could tell just by his voice, that he wasn't Yuna anymore. And then, she got the chance to see Yuna's left eye as he looked at her. It was a bright amethyst color, that she knew all too well.

"Now," 'Yuna' said, "It's time to make this Turbo Duel real, Aria! So let's rev it up!"

Aria simply smiled, and whispered something to herself:

"Good to see you again..."

* * *

Meanwhile, across town, Brandon was walking alone. There was something that he knew would happen today, and he simply had to walk some to find it.

And as he reached a crosswalk, it happened. There he was. The hooded man, only this time, without the golden Duel Disk. He looked to Brandon with his piercing golden eyes, and said, "Nice to see you, Monarca."

Brandon simply said "It's Monarco. Now what do you want, ya snake?" The hooded man simply gave his simple smirk, and said "Just making idle conversation." But then, he pulled out two cards, and said "Though there is one thing. I have a gift for you."

He threw the two cards at Brandon, who caught both in between his fingers. "The right one is yours, and the left one is meant for Kano."

"Oh, so Kano's special like Yuna?"

The hooded man got a chuckle out of this, and said "Not like Yuna, but he, along with you will be needed one day." Brandon simply looked at the hooded man, and asked, "Why would you side with them? You desperate for cash or somethin'?"

The hooded man just decided to give another smirk and shrug, and say, "No. I just wanna make the world a little better."

"Well, if you're trying to be hero, you seem to be a misguided one."

"I'm just doing whatever I want, whenever I want," he said, as he looked at the crosswalks, "But whatever. Now why don't you check out the card."

Brandon flipped over the card on the right, and saw what it was. "Golden Guard of the Gates of Hell. I'm assuming this represents me."

The hooded man nodded, "Yup. And the other one represents Kano. Give it to him next time you see him, alright?" Brandon nodded, and the man walked off. However, he was stopped once more by Brandon saying, "But before you go, I gotta know your name."

"What for, Monarco?"

"Because I'm sure we'll meet many times in the near future, and I don't wanna have to yell 'Hey, Asshole', every time I see you."

It was obvious the hooded man got a kick out of this, and said, "Maybe next time," And with that, he walked off, leaving Brandon to put those cards in a card holder for later. And then as he walked down the alleyway, heading to where he was going, he was jumped, by a young man with a duel disk.

"Brandon Monarco," he said, "I challenge you to a Duel!" Brandon simply scoffed at him, and said "And why would I waste my time on you?"

"Because I'm undefeated, and I won't be losing to you!"

"Fine then. But remember who you're challenging."

"Oh, right. I know who I'm challenging. I'm challenging someone who's gonna lose."

"Wrong... You're challenging the Demon King."

* * *

The duel was over within one turn. All Brandon needed to do was summon one single monster, and it was over. No one saw the duel, and no one knew what happened. The only one who knew was Brandon.

And as Brandon continued to walk off, remembering what had happened, he continued to look at the card he was given. _'Golden Guard of the Gates of Hell,'_ He thought, _'That's a pretty accurate description of me.'_

And as he looked at the card, he noticed the card looked like him, except in golden armor with a demon motif. And something told him it wasn't a coincidence.

All Brandon did in response to this idea was chuckle, and say "This just got a lot more interesting."

* * *

 **There it is. The new chapter. I tried to make it good, and do a good type of foreshadowing, which I can only hope I did. And also, the cards will make sense eventually, especially once I reveal Kano's card, and the other's of the group. But that won't be coming for a few chapters. And while I can't reveal who took Yuna's place there, I'm certain that we all know deep in our heart of hearts who it is.**

 **And also, Imma explain how 'The Knight with Five Souls' works.**

 **'The Knight with Five Souls' card effect**

 **Select and Activate 1 of the following effects:**

 **\- This card cannot be destroyed by battle**

 **\- This card cannot be destoyed by card effects**

 **\- Increase this cards ATK by 500**

 **\- Synchro Monsters you control gain 500 ATK**

 **-Xyz monsters you control gain 500 ATK**

 **Whichever effect you choose** **becomes it's permanent effect for as long as this card remains face-up on the field.**

 **And also other Custom Cards**

 **Silver Divine: Disciple of Sin (DARK, Level 4, Spellcaster/Effect, ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200): When this card is normal summoned successfully, randomly discard 1 card from your opponent's hand. During your turn, you can discard this card from your hand; draw 2 cards.**

 **Silver Divine: Yujo the Fearless (LIGHT, Level 6, Warrior/Reaction/Effect, ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100): 2 Monsters. When this card is Reaction Summoned successfully, you can special summon 2 Normal Monsters from your deck in face up defense position. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters on the field, except for Normal Monsters.**

 **Junk Paladin (DARK, Level 9, Warrior/Synchro/Effect, ATK: 3000/DEF: 2100): 'Junk Synchron' + 1 or more non-tuner monsters. While this card is on the field, all 'Junk' Monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle, except for this one. When this card is destroyed, you can summon back any monster used in the Synchro Summon of this card.**

* * *

 **Next time: The trip has finally come.**


	10. Ep 10: Day of the Trip

**Hey guys, I'm back with the episode before stuff starts to get serious.**

 **And I wanna say beforehand, I'm sorry if this chapter isn't very good. I'm no good at filler. But I did everything I could to make it interesting, as well as give a bit of insight into the ships.**

 **Speaking of ships, Yuna x Janine is NOT gonna happen.**

 **I'm sorry if I disappoint anyone out there, but it's all a matter of my own interpretation, and I really can't see them as anything other than best friends. That and there's Yuna x Lana (a ship I pretty much already set sailing). But Aria x Kano will be a thing, as well as some other ships later (not telling what or when).**

 **Anyway...**

 **ON WITH THE HORRIBLY WRITTEN FILLER!**

* * *

It was officially the day of the trip, which meant that everyone had to be ready.

At the moment, Yuna was hanging out with Janine, Brandon, and Lana. They were all talking about their plans for the trip, and Lana had one thing in particular planned that had Yuna interested.

"I hear we're sleeping at a hotel near the famous Millenium Fields, so I figure we go to check it out."

Yuna knew of the 'Millenium Fields'. According to his grandpa Seto, it was right above where Yugi faced a man by the name of 'Atem'. It was also where his Grandpa Seto started to believe in magic. The chance to see such a place sounded like an opportunity to Yuna, and he was never one to pass up an opportunity.

"What's so special about some field," Janine asked. Yuna was the one to explain it to her, saying, "It's said to be a beautiful place, and a lot of good things have happened to those who have visited it. And they also say if you duel there, the monsters you play will be real. It's like dueling in a Shadow Duel, without any of the risk."

"And how do you know what dueling in a shadow duel is like," Brandon asked curiously. The instant Yuna realized his mistake, he said "Or... at least what I've heard a Shadow Duel is like..."

Brandon simply dropped the topic when he noticed Yuna's hesitance to talk. And besides that, the four teens had made their way back to Yuna's dorm. But once they opened the door, they saw something they weren't expecting:

A massive feast on the table, and Kano's three 'Dark Magicians' by it.

"Uhh..." Lana said, confused as to what the heck was currently going on, "Xandreo? Faust? Xerxes? That you guys?"

"Who else would it be," Xandreo said with a simple smirk on his face, "I've not seen any other Dark Magicians on this campus."

"Well," Faust added, "There's the two others that Kano won off of Hayden, but he gave those two away to other duelists."

Xerxes simply nodded, before adding in, "Kano will be down in a minute. He asked us to make this feast."

It was at this moment, that the others were thinking _'This is awesome!'_ , but Brandon himself was thinking _'So I'm not the only one who can use his cards to cook.'_

Speaking of 'cook', the one who had requested the feast just came downstairs, still in his pajamas, and drying his hair off with a towel. He took notice of the other members of the group, and said a simple "'Sup."

Kano left a moment later, and the group was left to think _'How did Kano figure this out?'_

* * *

The breakfast was delicious. No one in the group could deny that.

All seven of them (as Aria and Weevil decided to join in) were enjoying the food, until Weevil broke the silence.

"So apparently that whole 'Duel Monster Spirits' thing isn't a bunch of hooey," Weevil said. "I guess I owe Elaine five bucks."

"Nah," Lana said, "Just promise me next time I say something that sounds ridiculous, you'll keep your mouth shut."

All Weevil could do was nod in response as Kano took the floor. "Now I'm sure you're all curious as to why I had this little feast ma-"

"Let me guess," Lana interrupted, "It's a little celebration before we leave for the airport."

Kano nodded, and said "I figure we eat like kings before the week we go see the Valley of Kings."

The group could only nod their heads in agreement, and then they all noticed their plates were empty. "I'll do the dishes," Xerxes, the third of the Dark Magicians said. "Especially considering the other two made the feast."

And with that out of the way, everyone went on with their day.

* * *

Weevil was walking around, on request of Yuna to gather everyone else in their group. He had already gotten Lana and Aria (the latter of whom had Brandon buy her ticket out of sheer niceness), and now he had to get one last person. But he was distracted from this only a moment later.

Looking by the small apple tree that he would always climb, he saw something hanging from it. It looked to be the tail of a cat, only it was striped black and orange.

Looking up at the branch above him, he saw the exact girl he was looking for. Her dark blue hair was framing her face in such a way that Weevil couldn't help but stare.

 _'She's cute,'_ Weevil thought, _'For a little kid. I almost don't wanna wake her up, but I know she's got a ticket.'_

So, for whatever reason, his method of waking her up was to pull on the tail. And despite putting up with Janine's schemes, nothing could prepare him for what would happen next.

Tora screeches in pain, and jumps. But she falls, and lands on the ground. But her claws ended up landing right on Weevil's abdomen.

He had no words to describe the pain that he felt when her claws stabbed into his skin (especially when they broke the skin). But he managed to get out, "Why... am I the one who receives all the pain... all the time?"

"Ohmygosh," she blurted out quickly, "Are you okay, guy?"

Weevil got up to his feet, his breathing a slight bit strained, and said, "I'll be fine. I've suffered worse than this before."

Tora looked at Weevil, and said "Let me see it." And, not in the mood to argue, Weevil lifted his shirt to show her. His abdominal region had ten little cuts, akin to stab wounds, and each one bleeding.

"Get Yuna," was the response of Weevil, who didn't even wait for Tora to say anything. She nodded, and ran the direction of Yuna's dorm.

It only took Yuna 3 minutes to get there, and in only 3 more, he wrapped Weevil's midsection with bandages. Tora was expecting a verbal lashing from the older boy, but got nothing of the sort. In fact, what he said was the last thing he was expecting:

"Those are some sharp claws you got there. I'm impressed."

"Impressed!?"

"Absolutely. You just seem to get cooler every time I meet you."

"And you seem to get weirder..."

"This coming from the girl with the fingernails ground into claws, and a fake tiger tail she can actually feel someone pulling on."

The two got a small chuckle out of this, before Tora said, "I'll forget you've got a bug collection if you forget about that."

"Deal. Now are we gonna meet up with the others or what?"

Tora nodded, and said "Race you there!"

With that, the two ran toward the others, both with a smile on their face.

* * *

As the group of teens (and Tora) got off of the bus, they made their way inside.

"So guys," Janine spoke up, "You excited?"

"Like you even have to ask," Yuna said, "I can't wait to see my family over there!"

"And it'd be pretty cool to see the Millennium Fields," Kano added.

The rest of the group could agree with that, but weren't able to agree for long. As another man bumped into Kano. The thug grabbed Kano by the shirt, and said, "Watch where you're going, runt!"

He looked like he was going to punch Kano square in the face, until the moment he saw Brandon. His grip of Kano loosed, and he dropped Kano to the floor.

"No," he said, sounding incredibly fearful, "Not you again! I'M OUTTA HERE!"

The thug ran away like his life depended on it, and Brandon simply smirked.

"Yeesh," he said, "I knew that guy'd be afraid of me after the beatdown yesterday, but that was ridiculous."

"Oh, so that's where you were yesterday," Yuna said, "I was wondering why you'd just not be at the school."

Brandon simply looked over to Yuna, and said, "And what about you? I heard you had your first Turbo Duel yesterday."

"Yeah. Aria really helped me get my head straight. And I don't know what's happening when I black out, but I know I can still duel like a champ."

"Good to hear."

Brandon then got a look on his face, and said, "Oh, speaking of duels. Kano!" The younger man turned around, and Brandon continued, "The d-bag in the hoodie told me to give this to you."

He took a card out of the card case, and threw it at Kano. The card flew at Kano at blinding speeds, only to hit him square in the face, and send him flat on the ground.

"Really," Brandon said, standing over him, "You can do a kick-up after being blown back by one of my monster's attacks, and yet THAT knocks you down. How?"

Kano does another kick-up, catching the card as it falls.

"Because shut up!"

It was only then that Aria came over, wrapped her arms around Kano, and said "And that is a little unfair Brandon. You don't realize your own strength sometimes. I'm pretty sure you could cut off someone's head with a card if you wanted to."

"Well... I guess that's true," he said in response, as he took note of the two in front of him. "But still, that guy called you a runt. I figured you'd be more annoyed by that."

"What'dya mean?"

"Look at Aria, and you'll get what I'm talking about."

Aria got off of his shoulders and stood in front of him. It was only now that he noticed it...

The timid girl he had met only two days before was an inch taller than him.

Kano simply sighed, exasperated, and said "Once again, genetics, you screw me over!"

"Hey," Yuna added, trying to cheer up his friend, "At least the dueling skills remained strong, despite the fact that you don't show it too often."

"And besides," Aria added, "I think it makes you look even cuter."

Kano couldn't help but blush at this. _'Aria thinks I'm cute,'_ he thought, _'That's a step in the right direction.'_ He was about to compliment her back, until a voice came over the intercom.

"All passengers on the 12:30 PM flight to Egypt, please make your way to the plane single file. We are about to begin boarding."

 _'Dammit! Beaten by the boarding process!'_

* * *

The group had made it onto the plane without any sort of hitch. Due to the fact of where they were on the plane, everyone was sitting by each other. Yuna and Lana were right by each other, as well as Kano and Aria, and Weevil and Tora.

All that was left was Janine. She looked at the seat number written on her ticket, and sat down in the row in front of where the other six were. She was happy she had gotten such a good seat (Yuna's great uncle Mokuba bumped him and his friends up to first class as a birthday gift), but would've preferred to sit by someone else.

She was stuck sitting next to Brandon.

She had only known the guy for two days, and yet she thought he was a total douchebag. Virtually everything that came out of his mouth seemed to be... well, she couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew she didn't like it.

 _'So why the hell is my face all red, then?'_

She had a light blush quickly spreading across her face. She wanted to deny a lot of stuff, but one such thing that she couldn't was obvious. He's muscular, and she likes it.

He had taken off his jacket, and was only wearing a tank top, showing off his impressive biceps.

 _'Dammit, Janine!'_ She thought to herself, _'You can't be thinking about muscles. This guys gotta be some kinda jer-'_

"Hey, Janine," Brandon said, snapping the girl away from her thoughts, "You okay? You're looking kinda red there."

After a brief silence, Janine finally gave a response...

"Uh... It's nothing," she said, "I must be coming down with something. Air sickness or whatever."

"You do realize we haven't even taken off yet, right?"

"... shut up."

* * *

They were now a few minutes away from Egypt. Brandon had gotten bored of their choices of in-flight movies, and had resorted to practice shuffling with his deck.

He had looked at the many cards in his deck, and found himself looking at the card that he had gotten. It was a Reaction Card, with 2800 attack points, 2200 defense points, and quite the powerful effect.

 _'I can certainly get some use out of this card...'_

Janine had also took notice of the card and it's abilities, but she had noticed that while Brandon took in the details of the card, his face got a slight bit pale.

"What's up," she asked, wanting to know what was wrong.

"It's nothing. You don't need to worry about me."

Janine could simply frown at this. In the several hours on this plane, her opinion of him had changed. She'd been able to ask him a few questions about himself, to which he answered her honestly. She had him all wrong, but she knew that someone like him didn't just go pale for no reason.

"Come on," she said, "There's no reason to hide stuff from me. I ain't gonna laugh or nothin'. Now what is it?"

Brandon took a few moments to respond, and when he did, he said, "... I just now noticed how similar the monster looks to me."

Janine looked over to it, and took in the details.

"Huh," she said, "I can kinda see the resemblance... only I don't see you wearing gauntlets, or any armor."

Brandon simply gave an indifferent expression to this, and says "Whatever," before putting the card back into his extra deck.

 _'It's a good thing I can act,'_ Brandon thought to himself. In truth, he had been lying about being shocked at the card's resemblance. Instead, it was the gauntlets themselves that shocked him...

*RUMBLE*

The plane shook a slight bit, and everyone was confused. Janine was curious, but the mysterious clanking sound she had heard took precidence. It sounded like it came from where Brandon's bag was. She was about to ask, until the pilot came on.

"Uh folks, we're experiencing a slight bit of turbulence. No need to worry though. It will be over in only a moment."

...

"Huh," Janine said, "Looks like he wasn't lying." Brandon simply nodded to this, and said "Yeah. Turbulence usually doesn't last too long."

"Yeah. So anyway, Brandon. You got that card from the Hoodie man, right?"

"Yeah..."

"You think Kano's looks like him?"

Brandon already knew the answer to that. He had taken a look at the card, and knew it looked like him. But, as he wasn't willing to talk about stuff like that at the moment, he just said "Maybe."

Changing topics again, Janine said to him, "Speaking of Kano, you noticed how close he's gotten to that Aria girl?"

"Yeah," he said, "I've also noticed that little Yuna dude getting close with that Elaine girl. Now the only one missing a girl is your little buddy Weevil."

Though the moment he said that, he saw Janine looking back, and seeing Weevil and Tora sharing a pair of earbuds, and listening to a song on Weevil's phone.

"Uh... I wanna say 'You were saying', but Tora's eight years old. I don't think that'd work out."

"Three words: Yugi and Rebecca."

"Wasn't Rebecca 15 when they got together?"

"Just sayin'..."

* * *

That conversation on relationships had stopped as soon as it started, as the plane began to make it's descent to the ground. The group had gotten all of their stuff out, and left quickly. Leaving the plane was the easy part. It was finding everyone that was the hard part.

"Jeez," Janine cried out, "Where'd everyone go? I thought we was goin' to some fancy hotel or somethin'."

"We're supposed to be," Weevil told her, "But I don't know where the others are."

The worry started to spread among the group, as they tried to search around, see if they noticed anyone else from the academy The only ones that didn't seem fazed at all were Brandon and Yuna.

And Kano had taken notice of this.

"Yuna, ain't you worried," he asked, "If we don't find the others, we won't know where the hotel is or-"

"Shh... I'm lookin' for someone."

The group remained silent, as Yuna looked around. They were curious as to who he was searching for, until his face lit up like the 4th of July.

"There they are," he said as he ran over to the other side of the airport. The rest of them followed Yuna, who had already made it to where he was heading. And when they got there, they were greeted by Yuna, hugging four others.

Two of them were elderly men, both tall, with piercing eyes. One had long grey hair, and a bushy beard, while the other looked to have a shaved head, other than a grey ponytail on the back of his head, along had a goatee, and a large amount of heiroglyphics inscribed in his face. The other two were a pair of teenagers, about Yuna's age, one with spiky black hair, and the other with messy white-gold hair and blue eyes.

The group looked quite mismatched, but one thing they had in common was that they were all smiling.

"So Yuna," the elderly man with the goatee asked, "Aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?"

"Oh right," Yuna said, breaking out of the hug.

"Guys, this is my family. The two teenagers are my cousins Aaron and Jabari, and the old guys are my great uncles, Marik and Odion."

The four greeted the group with a warm set of smiles, before Marik spoke up, saying "I hope you realize, Yuna, that we don't have enough rooms to accomodate all of them. We can feed them, sure, but I don't know about sleeping arrangements."

"That's fine, uncle Marik," Yuna told him, "We're sleeping at a hotel near your place, so I'll just be sure to visit every day during the week."

"Well then," Odion replied, "I'll be sure to prepare all of you a feast, to celebrate your first day here."

"Excellent idea," Marik said, "Follow us. The Jeeps are right outside."

The group cheered at the idea, and looked at Yuna, who had an excited look on his face.

"Welcome to Egypt, my friends," Yuna said, "This week's gonna be one of the best we ever have!"

* * *

The group of eight was now at the home of Marik, Odion, Aaron, and Jabari. It was a nice little house, two stories, with three guest bedrooms (a nice touch, but still not enough beds for the entire group). The others of the group were feeling like this would be an excellent place to duel in their free time.

Speaking of 'duel', Yuna was showing his uncle Marik the card he had received, and the man was intrigued by it.

"It's a really cool card," Yuna said to them, "And for some reason, it looks exactly like me, but with a few things different."

"Like the armor," Marik asked, "Or do you mean something else?"

"... Why don't I just show you?"

Yuna took 'The Knight with Five Souls', and placed it on his Duel Disk. The monster quickly materialized next to Yuna, and it was clear that the resemblance was uncanny. Even Odion saw it, as once he had entered the living room, he said "Whoa! Why are there two Yunas in the room?"

"It's a card, uncle Odion. It's called The Knight with Five Souls."

"The knight with five souls," Odion asked, "Then why does it look so similar to Yuna?"

"I don't know, brother," Marik says, "But there is something about it that catches my eye, and that's the pendant."

"Huh... it does look familiar..."

Yuna looked at what his great uncles were talking about. His original focus had been the sword, which had a pure gold blade, hilt (which was shaped like the same eye shaped symbol that Yuna had on the back of his hoodie), and pommel, along with a red wrapping around the handle. But now, due to his uncles, his focus was on the pendant around it's neck.

It was a pyramid shaped pendant, hanging from a rope. The pendant itself had several lines in it, showing that it was together in the way of a puzzle, along with having a large eye in the center of it. It was so familiar, and Marik knew why...

"This is the Millennium Puzzle," Marik said, "But why would a creature that looks like you have that? Only the pharaoh had the connection to such an item..."

"The pharaoh?"

Marik nodded at his great nephew, before saying "Yes, but that's not the only thing that I find curious about this. There is the inscription in his face..."

Yuna came over to the right side of 'The Knight with Five Souls', and looked at it. The hieroglyphics were arranged perfectly, and looked similar to the ones he had seen on uncle Odion's face.

"But what does it say?"

Marik looked at it for a moment, and slowly said, "It is a single word. It reads 'Oath'..."

 _'Oath?'_

Marik stood up, and said "Call the others down. The feast is ready."

"Okay, Uncle Marik."

And so, Yuna took the card off of his Duel Disk, and slowly walked down the hall to get them. And the whole way, one thought was running through his mind:

 _'Oath... But to what?'_

* * *

 **Eh? Was it good? Was it bad? Was it ugly?**

 **I don't know...**

 **But I got past the filler that I hate to write, and now I can get back to moving the damn storyline forward! And do that I will, as well as doing some fun things involving the 'Millennium Fields' later on.**

* * *

 **Next Time: Yuna discovers something legendary, that was thought to be long gone...**


	11. Ep 11: First Shadow Duel Part 1

**I'm back!**

 **So, if anyone's been wondering about a new chapter, I've just been working on other projects. As far as updates go, I'm still gonna try to update this story as much as I can, because I'm having a lot of fun writing this, and because I wanna make this project be as awesome as I can make it. But I will not be able to update every 2-5 days like back when I started writing on this site, but I will try to update at least once a month, if not more.**

 **So, if you find that you wanna read more, and I haven't updated this story in a long while, there are three possible scenarios. Either, 1: I'm dead, 2: I'm really busy, or C: I have REALLY bad writers block going on (this one being the most unlikely of the three. Have you seen the stuff that goes on in my mind!? When I'm asleep, I dream of wrestling T-Rexes inside of Volcanoes, for crying out loud!).**

 **But other than that, I'll be trying for regular updates on all of the projects that I wanna work on.**

 **So, with that out of the way, ON WITH THE NEW CHAPTER!**

* * *

Janine stood there, in the small alleyway, waiting to see what her opponents would do to her. She wasn't sure how it happened, but she ended up almost getting mugged, and now she was surrounded by about 10 guys. Keeping her fists close to her face, in a similar manner to a boxing stance, she readied herself for a fight.

Three charged at her at once, the first of them throwing a punch, which was caught by Janine, who then hit him with a right hook that sent him straight to the ground. The next of the three had a similar method, and was taken down as well, this time by way of double leg takedown. And the third of the three idiots was no smarter, and she ended up kicking him to the ground. The guy clutched his stomach, and said "God damn! Those big legs can kick!" To this, she chuckled.

She had particularly big hips and thighs, and had legs looking similar to Chun-Li's from 'Street Fighter'. But, like Chun-Li, it was because of how muscular her legs were. It was times like that, she was thankful Yuna had talked her into taking weightlifting class last year.

But she didn't exactly have time to reminisce on how Yuna had helped her. She was fighting, and that was what's important now.

At least once she realized they were trying to rush her again. Bracing herself, and preparing to counterattack, she was certain she could do this. Until of course, the muggers had thought to rush her, instead of going one at a time.

For a normal person, this would have overwhelmed them, but luckily, thanks to Janine's skill as a fighter, she was able to keep up with the ten, until of course, one of them snuck behind her, and caught her in a full nelson, while another hit her in the stomach with a baseball bat. It hurt a lot, and the pain only kept coming.

The mugger with the bat continued to hit Janine in the stomach, to the point where she felt like she was about to vomit, or cough up blood (she wasn't exactly sure which). She thought she would have to find a way out, but apparently she didn't have to, as she heard a voice behind her.

"I can't leave you along for 30 minutes, can I," the voice said, sounding cocky, and quite familiar. Looking behind her, she saw the trademark smirk of Brandon, with his shades covering his eyes, and his hands in his pockets.

"Now, gentlemen," Brandon said, obviously trying to talk down the muggers, "Can't we solve this without the need fo-" But he was cut off, as another of the muggers hit him in the back of the head with a similar baseball bat, and then dropped said bat and tried to stab him with a knife. That was the biggest mistake that mugger could have made, and he didn't even realize it yet.

Brandon caught the knife between he finger and thumb, while his other hand was still holding onto the back of his head, and stared at the mugger with annoyance in his eyes. "You know," Brandon said, his voice hoarse, and his anger evident, "A blow like that could kill a normal dude. So you must have attacked with intent to kill." The guy quickly realized his mistake, but was too shocked to do anything.

"I was GOING to let you live. But now, I think that's passed."

Before the guy could even react, Brandon snapped the blade of the knife, with only the two fingers he had on the knife, and stabbed the guy in the back with it. "Anyone else got the guts to try?"

Two more muggers approached Brandon, being stupid enough to think that rushing him was a good idea. They were quickly proven wrong as Brandon took them down effortlessly, performing a backflip, and kicking both men in the jaw at the same time. Even Janine was impressed, and she was busy fighting her own set of idiots.

"Now," Brandon said, "I'm gonna give you guys one last chance to give up, and walk away breathing." And it was easy to tell by the tone of his voice that he was 100% serious. But sadly, they just thought it was another bluff, taking their attention from Janine, and all nine of the remaining ones charged at him. It was a slaughter…

And they were the ones being slaughtered…

Brandon had hit one with a spinning hook kick, knocking him out, and quite possibly snapping his neck from the sheer force, and then moved on to another, grabbing his arm, and snapping it almost effortlessly, and then stomping on his head. Two more approached, and he slammed their heads together, making them hit each other so hard that they started bleeding absurd amounts. Two more approached, and Brandon slammed one into a wall, and the other into the ground, likely killing them both with one move. And one final one approached, who Brandon snapped the neck of as if it was nothing.

All that was left were two muggers, who were now smart enough to FEAR Brandon, instead of trying to attack him. "You two have five seconds to run away, before I leave you two for the coroner to find. One… Two…"

If it wasn't clear by the expression on their faces that they were scared of Brandon, the fact that their pants were now wet would attest to how afraid they were.

"Three…"

The two muggers turned on their heels, and ran as fast as their legs could carry them, but it still wasn't enough. Because when Brandon got to five, he pounced. He ran past them, jumping in midair, and grabbing the back of their heads. And when he landed on his feet, the two moron's had their heads embedded into the ground, only for Brandon to pick them up, and slam their heads together, with twice as much vigor as he did with the two before.

And as an added bonus, he had left a completely dumbstruck Janine there, unable to believe what she had just saw.

Brandon looked over, and said "What? Is there something on my face?" Internally, he actually knew why she was so shocked, but he figured he might as well act all innocent. Knowing Janine, she was going to say what was so crazy about the situation. Which she did.

"What was THAT!?" She exclaimed, "Where did you learn how to fight like that?" All he did was smirk and say, "I could ask you the same thing."

"Well… I learned from my grandpa. He taught me everything I know. You?"

Brandon looked down for a moment, and a nostalgic smile came to his face, just out of the view of Janine. "You might say," He said slowly, "That I was inspired by a legend. Someone who not only fueled my drive to become a great fighter, but to become a great Duelist…"

*BEEP!BEEP!BEEP*

Janine pulled her phone out of her pocket, noticing she had received a string of texts from Kano. "Well, well," She said, "Looks like Kano's facing someone called the 'Ultimate Gambler'. Sounds like a match I wanna see! You coming or what?"

"Sounds like fun."

* * *

To say that being challenged by 'The Ultimate Gambler' (as the guy called himself) was high on the list of things Kano expected to happen today would be a lie. But regardless, that was his current situation.

('The Ultimate Gambler's LP: 4000)

(Kano's LP: 4000)

"I'll go first," Kano said calmly, drawing his card, "By setting a face down, and ending my turn."

The 'Ultimate Gambler' laughed, before saying "That's a weak first move, little man. I thought you said you gambled. Loved to take risks and what-not." And then continuing to laugh.

He barely saw Kano smirk, confident in his 'weak first move'. But he did see it, and it annoyed him. "Fine then, little man," He said, "Let me show you a real first move. I'll play the spell card Scapegoat, to special summon 4 Sheep Tokens, and then use the Trap Card, Big Win!"

(4 Sheep Tokens appear on the field. ATK: 0)

Kano was confused. "What does Big Win do," he asked, "I don't think I've heard of that one."

"Just more proof you aren't a gambler. But allow me to expla-"

But sadly, Kano was already looking it up on his D-Pad, so the man didn't even get the chance. "Okay, I get the gist of it. So you call a level, we each toss a coin, and if both heads, then all your monsters become said level."

"That's about it."

"Then let's get on with it."

"Agreed, and I choose the Level 12!"

"Uh…"

And with that, two giant holographic coins appeared in the air. As each one flipped high up into the sky, the anticipation was exciting them both, as if the entire duel rode on what the coins landed on…

And in a sense, it kind of did…

Both coins had finally crashed to the ground, and the result was clear. Instead of two 'heads' symbols, like the 'Ultimate Gambler' was expecting, it was two tails symbols…

"Oh… well then. At least I still have four Sheep Tokens to defend my Life Points."

"Uh…" Kano said, "Your Life Points are gone."

"What?"

"Yeah,' Kano replied, "If both coins are tails, then you lose Life Points equal to the level you chose times 500."

"Wha- No! You lie!"

"I do not. Read it and weep."

And it was clear by the look on his face that he had realized the truth.

(The Ultimate Gambler's LP: 0)

It was at this point that Brandon said the first thing since the duel began. And all he said was "Whoo boy! A One-Turn Suicide! I didn't think such a thing was possible."

"Neither did I," Replied Kano, before looking to the 'Ultimate Gambler', "What did you even need four level 12 monsters for anyway?" And all the guy did was pull out an Xyz Monster from his extra deck, by the name of 'Cxyz Beast of Legend'.

And at this point, Xerxes, Kano's 'Black Magician', appeared out of nowhere, and had only one thing to say:

"We will be taking those two cards, as you are clearly incapable of using them properly."

"Wha-No! That is NOT how that works," The man said as he pulled out a handgun and pointed it directly at the back of Kano's head. In response, Kano did a spinning hook kick, knocking the gun straight out of his hands, and sending it to Brandon, who caught it, popped the bullet in the chamber, and then proceeded to break the gun over his knee.

"And in exchange, I give you these two rare Gambling Cards, as well as these three rare monster cards. If you want to be the 'Ultimate Gambler', like you claim you are, then I would recommend you start out small. I hope that's a fair trade. But let's get ONE thing clear…"

Suddenly, Kano seemed to change. It was a subtle changed, but not one unnoticed by Brandon, or by the man. It was Kano's eyes…

They had turned pure blood red…

"If you pull a gun on me again," Kano said, his voice quiet, and sounding shaky (but not in a shy way; more in a mentally unstable way), "I won't be as merciful as I am now. We were having fun, until you decided to threaten me…"

The guy began to back away, the five cards in his hand, and the only thing he was willing to say was "Okay. I'm sorry," Before walking away slowly.

It was only then that Kano's eyes returned to their usual amethyst color. "Whoa," Brandon said, awestruck at what transpired "Since when have you been so intimidating?"

"I… don't know…"

* * *

Later on that same day, Kano had went back to Yuna's uncle's house, hoping to see his best friend there. Once he entered the house, he saw the wild blonde hair of Aaron and the messy black bedhead of Jabari. Looking over, he saw the two sitting at a table, and talking about Duel Monsters strategies, but no sign of Yuna anywhere. This seemed especially odd, considering that Yuna was so excited about seeing them.

"Hey," Kano said to the two younger boys, "Have either of you seen Yuna?" The two shook their heads, before Aaron said "Not since last night. We saw him wander out of the house at about 9, and then come back at about Midnight."

To this, Kano nodded. Yuna often got to bed early, liking to be up early, and make the most out of the day from the very beginning. _'And it's funny,'_ Kano thought, _'Because Elaine sleeps like a rock. Well, that and I've heard she's a blanket hog.'_ But quickly, he realized he was forgetting what he was trying to do. Getting back on topic, he asked the two, "Well, did you happen to see where he went?"

"No," they both replied, before Jabari told him, "But when he came back, he had a bunch of gold pieces with him. They looked like a puzzle of some sorts."

"A puzzle, you say?"

The three children looked back and saw that Marik was standing there with a ladle in one hand. "How much did you hear, Grandpa," Aaron asked, and Marik answered with, "I've been listening in since you said something about Yuna leaving. I knew he had, but I had no idea he had returned around midnight. What happened when he returned?"

"Well," Jabari looked to his great uncle Marik, and told him, "He wrote down a quick note, saying that we aren't allowed to mess with the pieces, and then he went to sleep. But before he did, I got a glimpse of his left eye, and it was purple… Kinda like Kano's but a little more… confident."

"Is that the case," Marik inquired, crossing his arms, and stroking his beard, "Well, I'm not sure what to make of that. Yuna may be the kind who loves to explore, but he's not the type to go off doing something secretive in the middle of the night. Do you three think you can go find him?"

"Wait," Aaron asked, "Why does Kano have to go? Yuna's our cousin."

"Because he's going to regardless of if I say anything anyway. And Yuna's practically his brother already."

No one was able to disagree with that statement…

Having no more objections, along with taking along their D-Pads, and their Dueling Decks, the three boys headed out to search for Yuna. And knowing how many crazy things Yuna got into, this was going to be one hell of a day for them…

* * *

Yuna wandered aimlessly out in the desert, his duel disk on his arm, while he was holding a golden trinket in one hand, and a small piece of gold in the other. Taking a look at the intricate shape of the piece, as well as the voids in the trinket, he was able to deduce where this piece likely went. Taking it, and placing it where he thought it would go, a smile formed as the piece fit snugly into place, and he grabbed another one out of the pocket of his hoodie.

Yuna had made the assumption that these pieces were part of a puzzle this morning, and has been considering every option for putting it together since. Now, in any normal situation, he would've wondered why his body went after the pieces (as he knew that he 'blacked out', and likely went to find all of the pieces he has), while he was out searching for an opponent, but right now he was too engrossed in solving the puzzle to worry about it.

So far, since he had left this morning, he had managed to almost completely put it together, so he could tell it was in the shape of an upside down pyramid, and had a rusty chain attached to the top of it (which he would likely have to change soon), looked to be made of pure gold. _'It looks very nice,'_ Yuna thought to himself, _'Almost like…'_

* * *

" _ **This is the Millennium Puzzle," Marik said, "But why would a creature that looks like you have that? Only the Pharaoh had the connection to such an item…"**_

* * *

Yuna stopped dead in his tracks, having a sneaking suspicion that what the puzzle he had nearly completed this day was the same item around the neck of his card, 'The Knight with Five Souls'…

Taking the remaining two pieces out of his hoodie pocket, and placing one on a corner, and the other in the center; the only remaining place without a piece. And when he did, he saw something that struck him as familiar, despite the fact that he had never seen it:

He saw the Eye of Wdjat…

And he saw that it was indeed the Millennium Puzzle…

"Well well," Yuna heard a voice say, suddenly fearing for his life, "So the boss was right. You do have the puzzle!"

Looking over to his right, he saw the voice, one of whom was in front of a lake, and the other of whom was leaning on a palm tree. Yuna looked at the puzzle, and then back at the men, realizing he had wandered out to the Millennium Fields, and didn't even realize it. But that was not what was important. What was important was the two men.

The one in front of the lake was the shorter man, looking to be in his mid-20s, with a buzz cut, and a five o'clock shadow, dressed in a black cloak. The one leaning on the palm tree was the taller of the two, looking to be in his late-20s, possibly early-30s, with a similar buzz cut, and a bushy beard, and dressed in an identical black cloak. And they both shared a look of arrogance, that showed they wanted to hurt Yuna.

"What do you guys want," Yuna asked, placing the puzzle in his hoodie pocket. The two began to approach, but Yuna stood where he was, but not of his own free will. "We want to duel," the shorter one said, "But it will not be any sort of duel. It will be a Shadow Duel!"

Yuna was frozen in place, for whatever reason, as if hearing 'Shadow Duel' was striking a certain nerve. "And why do you think I would accept," Yuna asked. The older of the two told him, "Because a Shadow Duel can't be refused. If you do, your soul will be banished to the Shadow Realm."

"Oh…" Yuna was extremely dishearted by this fact, "Then I suppose I'm forced to fight one of you?"

"Both of us, actually," The shorter of them said, "But there is an added risk and reward to this challenge. If you win, you get a card from each of us, but if you lose, we get your Dueling Deck."

"An entire deck for two cards? Hardly seems worth the risk, but I suppose there's no way to back down."

"Oh, but it's actually pretty worth it," the taller of the two said, "Because we can offer any two cards in the world. Ask, and you will receive, but only if you win. And if we can't offer you the cards, that is one of the only cases where you do not have to accept. Now speak."

"Very well then… I guess I'd like Thunder End Dragon, and Lucius, Ranger of the Silver Divines."

And there it was. He had requested two cards that he was certain they would never have, because of how rare they were. First off, 'Thunder End Dragon' was one of the rarest dragon-type Xyz monsters in existence, and secondly, only five copies of 'Lucius, Ranger of the Silver Divines' existed. There was no way they would have them…

"It's a deal!"

The two held up the exact cards that Yuna had been thinking of, and he knew that meant he had to accept their challenge. But before he did, he felt something run through his mind, saying 'put on the puzzle. You need to do so.' And not feeling like he should disagree with this inner voice (considering that it has never led him astray), he took out the puzzle, put it around his neck, and said, "I accept your challenge."

"Very well then," the shorter of the two said, "You may call me Grey, and my associate is known as Raven. Now with introductions out of the way, let us begin." With that said, Yuna activated his duel disk, while the other two activated theirs. And all it took was two little words:

"LET'S DUEL!"

* * *

(Yuna's LP: 4000)

(Grey's LP: 4000)

(Raven's LP: 4000)

"I'll be starting us off," Yuna said, drawing his card, "And I'll start by discarding my Silver Divine: Disciple of Sin, to draw two new cards." And doing exactly that, he saw that he drew the exact card he needed. "And I'll start by playing The Knight with Five Souls!"

(In a flash of brilliance, The Knight with Five Souls appears on the field, with five orbs of energy orbiting around him. **ATK: 1600** /DEF: 1200)

"And I choose to activate the special ability, and make it unable to be destroyed by battle."

(An orb of amethyst colored energy enters the creature's Millennium Puzzle, and its left eye turns a similar shade of purple.)

"And with that, I set two cards face down and end my turn."

"Very well then," Grey said, drawing a card, "I'll start by playing Banner of Courage! Now all of my cards gain 200 attack points during the battle phase. And next, I'll summon Deceitful Swordsman in attack mode!"

(A figure wearing a black hood, and wielding a scimitar, appears. **ATK: 1300** /DEF: 1000)

"And next, I'll use its special ability to summon another 'Deceitful' monster from my hand. For example, a second Deceitful Swordsman!"

(A second 'Deceitful Swordsman' appears, and nods at the first. **ATK: 1300** /DEF: 1000)

"And next, I play Double Summon, and summon my Moon Envoy!"

(A man in blue, samurai-esque armor, wielding a crescent pike, appears. **ATK: 1100** /DEF: 1000)

"And here comes the fun part! I now overlay my three monsters! With these, I build the Overlay Network…"

The three monsters were turned into orbs of energy, and entered into the vortex that appeared on the ground. And out of it came a pillar of light…

"To Xyz summon Gigas Blade Warrior!"

(A very tall and muscular warrior, dressed in dark armor, and wielding a massive single edged sword, appears. **ATK: 2600** /DEF: 0)

"And with that, I set a face down, and end my turn. Your move, Raven."

The taller of the two, now known as Raven, drew a card, before stating his move. "I'll start by playing the trap card 'Call of the Common', and by paying 1000 Life Points, I can special summon every copy of my Big Shield Gardna."

(Raven's LP: 3000)

(Three warriors with long black hair, kneeling behind very large shields, appear. **ATK: 100** /DEF: 2600)

"And next, I'll play Dian Keto the Cure Master, to bring my life points back to 4000."

(Raven's LP: 4000)

"And I think that a massive shield would go nicely with the massive blade Grey summoned, so lastly, I overlay these three monsters…"

Once again, the vortex appeared, and the three monsters turned into energy, and entered it. And just like last time, a pillar of light came out of it…

"To Xyz summon Gigas Shield Warrior!"

(Another very tall and muscular warrior, dressed in dark armor, and wielding a massive black shield, appears. ATK: 0/ **DEF: 2600** )

"And with that, I end my turn. Your move, Yuna."

Upon seeing the two massive warriors on his opponent's field, he noted his own monster, and looked to his hand to assess the situation. He was now up against two massive creatures, and in a Shadow Duel nonetheless. _'I know this is a big risk,'_ Yuna said, _'And I was probably stupid to accept the challenge, but I can't show weakness… I'm strong, and I won't lose to them!'_

So Yuna stood his ground. And while he couldn't see it, his left eye was glowing, like a white flame. He did not know it, but he was ready for anything these two 'Shadow Duelists' could throw his way.

* * *

 **To be continued...**

* * *

 **And now, I am finally getting into the more serious stuff! Starting here begins the start of the 'Egypt Arc', and I got to get to a lot of things this chapter. The thing I am happiest to have gotten to was the fight scene at the beginning. So, if anyone's wondering about that, I'm making this a little more like the Manga, where it was more violent, and characters were allowed to fight without the freaking dub people censoring everything (and that's why I'm glad that my buddy Thunderoller gave me the character of Brandon to work with)!**

 **I also got to get to a certain thing involving Kano, as well as getting to have quite a few character interactions that were good. And now, we've got a duel going on, and an epic storyline (at least I think is epic) is beginning.**

 **Also, speaking of Thunderoller, I'm giving a shout out to his fic 'Yin Yang Chronicles'. It's a story that I'm helping out on, and it's based on our characters that we created, as well as them traveling across the multiverse. So if you like characters traveling to multiple worlds, extreme violence, and all that kinda stuff, then I reccomend giving it a look. Right now, it's only on like... chapter 4, I think (as I post this chapter of course), but it will be amazing once it's done.**

 **And now that I've done that shameless advertisement... CUSTOM CARDS!:**

 **Deceitful Swordsman (DARK, Level 4, Warrior/Effect, ATK: 1300/DEF: 1000): When this card is normal summoned successfully, you can special summon 1 'Deceitful' monster from your hand.**

 **Gigas Blade Warrior (EARTH, Rank 4, Warrior/Xyz/Effect, ATK: 2600/DEF: 0): 3 Level 4 monsters. Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; increase this card's ATK by 500 until the end of the turn.**

 **Gigas Shield Warrior (EARTH, Rank 4, Warrior/Xyz/Effect, ATK: 0/DEF: 2600): 3 Level 4 monsters.** **Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; increase this card's DEF by 500 until the end of the turn.**

* * *

 **Next Time: Yuna vs Grey and Raven! The battle continues!**


	12. Ep 12: First Shadow Duel Part 2

**I have returned, and I am back with episode 12 of 'Spirits of the Past'.**

 **And yes, you heard that right. 12...**

 **I realized how the anime does it, and since the chapters are technically separate 'episodes', that means I had to re-count the episodes, and we're actually on 12.**

 **That's all for now. I'm certain you'll all enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Yuna stood across from both Grey and Raven, glaring daggers into their eyes, with his bangs moved behind his ear, fully showing off his glowing left eye…

His white, lifeless eye, was glowing brightly, and a burning energy seemed to be coming off of it, almost as if there was fire coming off of it. He looked to be ready to destroy virtually anything that stood in his way.

"Oh," Grey taunted, "So the child has grown a spine, has he? Well, that won't change the fact that you will lose this duel soon enough. I'd give up now if I were y-"

"Get real!"

Grey stopped his taunting after hearing Yuna say this…

"I'm a much better duelist then you're giving credit for, and I won't be losing to those this duel. Especially if my life is on the line." There was a change in Yuna's voice that both Grey and Raven were able to catch. It had gotten deeper, and stronger, but most importantly, more sure and true. Instead of hearing the voice of a cocky teenager, they heard the voice of a confident man, almost as if he had completely changed his personality…

And it scared the two Shadow Duelists when they saw Yuna's eye go from pure white to deep amethyst, even if it was only for a single second.

"It's my turn," Yuna said, his voice having returned to its normal tone, "I draw."

Upon holding the card in his hand, he felt a powerful surge go through his hand, and into his mind. It was as if a voice was telling him 'This is exactly the card you need.' Glancing over to it, he understood why.

"Time to go full force," Exclaimed Yuna, "And to start, I'll be playing the Spell Card 'Brothers in Arms'. With this card, I can special summon any two warriors from my deck to my hand, as long as they're both Level 4 or lower."

Yuna examined the two cards already opposing him, looked at them on his D-Pad. And what he noticed was that all their strength came from the position they were currently in. A plan hatched in his brain immediately.

"And the two monsters I choose are my 'Silver Divine: Blade General', and 'Silver Divine: Shield General'!"

(A brown haired warrior, covered in Red and Gold armor, wielding a red hilted golden bladed sword, appears. **ATK: 1900** /DEF: 100)

(A similar warrior, covered in similar armor, wielding a giant red and gold knights shield, appears. ATK: 100/ **DEF: 1900** )

"And next," Yuna continued, "I'll use both monster's special abilities. First up, Blade General's ability will make any monster in Defense Mode on the field switch to Attack Mode. And since I know that your 'Gigas Shield Warrior' has zero Attack Points… I'll be doing just that!"

(Gigas Shield Warrior stands up, signifying it is forced into Attack Mode. **ATK: 0** )

"And then, I'll do the reverse to Gigas Blade Warrior, using Shield General's effect to switch it to Defense Mode!"

(Gigas Blade Warrior kneels down, signifying it is forced into Defense Mode. **DEF: 0** )

"And now, I've got you right where I want you! But not without inviting one final friend to the field. Introducing my Silver Divine: Twin Axwielder!"

(A muscular young man, dressed in animal skins, and wielding a pair of hand axes, appears. **ATK: 1400** /DEF: 700)

The two Shadow Duelists looked at Yuna's field, unable to believe how quickly Yuna had turned the tides of this battle. He was now in a position where he could wipe out most of Grey's Life Points, or completely decimate Raven in a single turn. It wasn't a stretch to say that the two were screwed.

But while Grey himself was annoyed at this, Raven enjoyed the idea. _'This is what makes a great duel,'_ Raven thought to himself, _'This kind of suspense. If only Grey understood that…'_

While Yuna could not understand why Raven had a smile on his face, he did understand what he had to do. "I said I was gonna go full force," Yuna said, "And that's exactly what I intend to do! I attack with Twin Axwielder to destroy your Gigas Blade Warrior!"

'Gigas Blade Warrior' attempts to block the Twin Axwielder's attack, but the blade is shattered by the hand axe crashing down, and destroying the massive warrior.

"And by the way," Yuna added, "Twin Axwielder gets TWO attacks every battle phase, meaning I can take down your Gigas Shield Warrior!"

The same defensive maneuver is made by 'Gigas Shield Warrior', but like last time, the hand axe breaks through the shield, and destroys the warrior.

(Raven's LP: 2600)

"And to continue my full force attack, I'll take off 1900 points from Grey with my Blade General!"

(Grey's LP: 2100)

"And to end it, I'll attack Raven with The Knight with Five Souls!"

And as The Knight with Five Souls goes in to attack, the warrior's blade comes to a screeching halt, as a white sheet appears on Raven's side of the field. "Afraid not," he said calmly, "For my Flag Bearing Fiend will be causing a forced peace until you end your turn. It's not a permanent solution to your impressive strategy, but it shall do for now."

Hearing this surprised Yuna. Judging simply based on what he's heard from Shadow Duelists, they were arrogant, and never liked to commend their opponents on anything. But Raven seemed to be the exception thus far, and that in itself was something to smile about…

"Well then," Yuna said, "I guess that's the end of my attack. And if I end my turn right now, then my Blade General and Shield General would be removed from play. And to ensure that doesn't happen, I'll overlay them…"

Yuna drew out the specific card from his Extra Deck, hearing a voice in the back of his head that's saying 'Summon it'. _'I still don't know where you came from,'_ He told himself mentally, _'But if you will serve me, then I will summon you.'_

After a brief silence, Yuna continued, only saying, "With these, I build the overlay network, and Xyz Summon 'Number 39: Utopia'!" Before the two powerful creatures turn into energy, and enter a vortex, before bringing out the creature in question.

Yuna was now in control of the ace card of Yuma Tsukumo…

( **ATK: 2500** /DEF: 2000)

"And that'll do it for me."

Grey nodded, hiding his true frustration. He had just been backed up into a corner, and with only a single move, the scales have been tipped in Yuna's favor. It was infuriating, and he couldn't help but be enraged by this. Until of course, he had an ingenious plan. Looking over to Raven, he signed 'You know what we must do'. The only response was a sigh from the older man, and a nod.

The two then did the same motions, placing their hands together (as if praying), and muttering something unintelligible to Yuna. Once they were done with what they did, they both pointed at Yuna, and a surge of pain ran through his head.

Yuna noticed as the darkness began to engulf the area, before he remembered the duel that Kano had with Hayden, and remembering they were Shadow Duelists.

The duel must have been taken to the Shadow Realm…

* * *

Not even five seconds here, and Yuna was already feeling the effects of the Shadow Realm on his body. He immediately began to feel weakened, beginning to feel dizzy and disoriented. In fact, it reminded him of how he felt when he had watched the Shadow Duel with Kano, only far more powerful than it was then.

"And now," Grey said, giving a cocky smirk, "This duel just got real." Unbeknownst to Yuna himself, when the turn had begun, Grey had drawn a secret card out of his pocket, which was the exact card he pretended to draw. He now had a masterful plan, born of cheating…

"Here we go," Grey said, as Raven looked on in disappointment, "I'll start by setting a face-down, and then play the card Pot of Rebirth!" Yuna knew this card, of course (remembering when he played it in that Action Duel against Wake and Will), but he was unprepared for Grey to draw it. Immediately after the effect resolves, Grey draws six cards (one of which he is forced to send to the graveyard, obviously due to it being too high of a level).

But the sinister smirk on his face is what made Yuna uneasy.

"And next, I activate Pot of Greed!"

"You can't do that," Yuna protested, "Pot of Greed's been banned!"

In response to this, Grey only laughs wickedly, while Raven explains the situation calmly. "This is obviously your first Shadow Duel," he said, "So I'll explain it simply. In this special dueling style, you are allowed to have one banned card in your deck. But only one."

"Indeed," agreed Grey, as he drew two more cards, "And with that settled, I'll then activate Call of the Haunted, to bring back the monster I just sent away."

The ground began to shake underneath Yuna, as he noticed Grey's grin become even more disturbing…

"The Gigas Blade Warrior was simply the warmup. Now allow me to introduce you to the master of the Ancient Gears! And my first humble servant, Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Chimera!"

And out of a cloud of smoke, appeared the creature in question. It was a massive, mismatched creature made out of parts from other 'Ancient Gear' pieces, along with having three heads; one of 'Ancient Gear Soldier', one of 'Ancient Gear Beast', and one of 'Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon'.

Yuna immediately recognizes this beast…

( **ATK: 2300** /DEF:1300)

"My my…" Yuna said, as his breath began to get heavy upon seeing the beast. The Shadow Realm was starting to get to him, and he could feel a stinging pain in his chest. Even without losing a single Life Point, he could feel pain just from being IN the Shadow Realm…

But at the same time, he could feel that it wasn't just the Shadow Realm that was getting to him…

"And now," continued Grey, "I will be playing one of the most powerful spells I have! The spell card 'Ultimate Gear Army'!"

Yuna's heard of this card as well, so he knew of its effect. By throwing out his entire hand, he could summon up as many 'Ancient Gear' Monsters as cards he threw out. And considering he had four cards, that meant he'd have a full field…

And as he realized this, Yuna immediately felt lightheaded, and in the back of his mind, he heard two voices…

* * *

" _Are you sure about this," an energetic voice asked, full of curiosity, "If he can find a way to skip his next standby phase, he can attack Yuna for massive damage next turn."_

" _Too late for that," another voice said, this one deep and commanding, "Grey just played Solomon's Lawbook. His next standby phase will be skipped, meaning he has another turn to use his Ancient Gear Army."_

" _Well then," The first voice asked, "What do you propose we do?"_

" _We wait. Yuna has your Number card on his field, along with the face downs to survive for a while. He can survive their onslaught for long enough."_

" _I hope you're right. If not, I'll never see my wife again, and risk killing Astral as well."_

" _We won't let that happen. He has allies in us, and he believes in the Heart of the Cards. He will not lose."_

* * *

Yuna returned to reality, and was greeted with an amazing sight. On Grey's field was the 'Gadjiltron Chimera' ( **ATK: 2300** ), two 'Ancient Gear Knights' ( **ATK: 1800 x 2** ), and two 'Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragons' ( **ATK: 3000 x 2** ). Yuna knew that the effect of 'Ultimate Gear Army' made it to where all 'Ancient Gear' monsters can't attack for the rest of Grey's turn (the card itself was commonly used for Xyz Summoners), but he also knew that they'd be banished on Grey's next standby phase.

And if what Yuna had heard from those voices was correct, then he had this army of 'Ancient Gear' monsters until two turns from now.

Grey starts to taunt Yuna, but the words are faded, and he hears none of them truly. His mind is too focused on the conversation that had occurred in the back of his mind. He had heard the two voices, and they sounded almost identical to some old video footage he had watched of the World Duel Carnival, and of the Battle City Finals.

In fact, the voices sounded nearly identical to that of Yuma Tsukumo, and Yugi Muto…

And it caused a burning pain to course through him as he realized it…

' _So,'_ He questioned, more so just to test his own sanity, _'Did I just hear a conversation between the 1st King of Games and the Number Master? Or am I just losing it?'_

"So why not surrender and save yourself the trouble?"

Yuna just snapped out of his trance, realizing that Grey had been taunting him this whole time. He only heard the last line, so he responded with "I'm not going to surrender. I'm stubborn like that."

"Well then, your stubbornness will be your downfall! Raven, it's your turn now."

Raven simply nodded, before looking at his deck, and placing his hand over a single card. "My cards," he says quietly (but just loud enough for Yuna to hear him), "If you will permit it, I wish to bring out something to keep myself alive, at least for this turn." He took a deep breath, and drew his card, giving a faint smile upon seeing what it was.

"Very gracious of you," he says to his cards, "Now to my turn."

Yuna stood there for a moment, still in pain from the Shadow Realm, but amazed to hear that his opponent basically thanking his dueling deck, showing some semblance of honor, or love for the game. And as Raven continued his turn, he gave a pained smile.

"And I shall start by using 'The Magician's Gracious Gesture'. With this card, I can use the effect of a spell card twice this turn. And I know that the card I wish to use is Ancient Rules. And with its effect, I shall special summon two copies of Zoa."

(Two hideous blue demons with sharp claws appear. **ATK: 2600 x 2** )

"And next, because I have two Fiend monsters on my side of the field, I can banish my Demon Power Holder from my deck, to get a trap card from my deck. Such as Metalmorph, which I shall equip to one Zoa, to make Metalzoa."

(One of the two Zoa's is covered in metallic armor, making it look akin to a robot. **ATK: 3000** / DEF: 2300)

"And I suppose now that my monsters are on the field, I shall use them to attack! Metalzoa, destroy Twin Axwielder."

Yuna knew the raw power that Metalzoa had was near equivalent to that of his 'Blue Eyes White Dragon', so he knew that kind of raw power could really hurt him. He remembered Kano telling him that the 500 life points he lost felt like he was being repeatedly stabbed in the heart, so no doubt that 1600 could do some real damage. But in his daze, he remembered one thing right as Metalzoa swung at him…

"Negate Attack!"

And even though Yuna had successfully blocked the great beast's attack, it still hurt him. The simple activation of Negate Attack seemed to put an enormous strain on Yuna, to the point where he felt as if the attack had gone through either way.

"Very well then. With two of my favorite monsters out to protect me, I am feeling pretty good about my chances. Your move, Yuna."

By this point, Yuna was breathing heavily, his chest straining as if he had just run a marathon. He didn't even notice that Raven's monsters were looking on in worry, until Raven himself interjected.

"You're not ready for this," Raven said, catching Yuna's attention. Yuna questioned the taller man, through his heavy breathing.

"What… are you… talking about?"

"You're breathing is heavy," continued Raven, "And your body looks as if it's ready to collapse any minute. Our commanding officer has a natural influence over the Shadow Realm due to using it for so long, and that influence is made even stronger simply by an item he wears. Your mind is not ready for such a Dark Duel, so… I must request that you bring out the King…"

The King? What did he mean by that?

"You possess a great power, Yuna, and if what our commander says is right, then that card represents you perfectly."

Raven was pointing at 'The Knight with Five Souls' when he says this, and Yuna couldn't help but look at the creature. Then, a searing pain came through his body, before settling in his left eye…

"Now bring out one of the 'Five Souls'."

* * *

' _Do not worry,'_ He heard the deep commanding voice tell him, _'This is a Shadow Duel that you will not be losing…'_

' _Are you sure this is a good idea, Yug,'_ the energetic voice questioned, as Yuna clutched his head.

' _Do not worry… they requested the King, and that's exactly who they are going to get.'_

Grey and Raven stood there, and watched as Yuna himself stood back up, slight differences in his body compared to how he was before.

* * *

For one thing, he seemed to be slightly more muscular (though it was hard to tell with the hoodie), and a bit more of a focused look on his face, as if he wasn't even fazed by the Shadow Realm. But of course, the biggest change came in his left eye.

Whereas it was pure white before, it was now a deep amethyst color.

"You requested the King," asked 'Yuna', his voice now deep and commanding, "Well, here he is. I DRAW!" It only took a single glance at the card, and the ones in his hand for a plan to formulate in his mind.

' _I know that Yuna's deck holds everything I need to defeat them, and it hasn't proved me wrong yet.'_

"To appease your request," he started, "The 'King' will be dueling from this point on! And my first move will be to play Ancient Rules, to summon forth an old favorite. My Dark Magician!"

And onto the field, appears the Dark Magician, in its original design. He looked over to Grey and Raven, staring at them with his deep blue eyes, and their monsters began to cower.

( **ATK: 2500** /DEF: 2100)

"And that's not all. I'll next equip him with the card 'Sword of the Silver Deity', increasing his Attack and Defense by 500."

(A white bladed sword falls from the heavens, which Dark Magician picks up. **ATK: 3000** )

"Meaning now, it can destroy anything on your field."

"How," asked Grey, "It's doesn't have that much Attack."

"True, but Sword of the Silver Deity has a special ability. Just like Metalmorph, it takes half of your monster's Attack points, and adds it to his own. So this will be your last move! Dark Magician, attack Ancient Gear Knight!"

"Not going to happen, 'King', because I will be playing MY Negate Attack!"

Grey tried to pull the card out of his sleeve discretely, but 'Yuna' had seen this done. But due to this being a Shadow Duel, these guys were not going to care if they cheated or not. And 'Yuna' found that dishonorable, but knew he could do nothing about it.

"Very well then," he grumbled, "I'll set a face down, and end my turn…"

Grey only gave a maniacal laugh, and said "Than let this be your last turn! Because I just drew the card Ancient Gear Temple, increasing all of my Ancient Gear monsters Attack by 500!"

(Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Chimera's ATK: **2800** )

(Ancient Gear Knight's ATK: **2300 x 2** )

(Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon's ATK: **3500 x 2** )

"And next, I'll equip my Ancient Gear Knight with Axe of Despair!"

(ATK: **3300** )

"Even your best defenses won't allow you to survive this! Because now, I'll attack with everything I have!"

"Afraid not," 'Yuna' smirked, "Because I will be playing the card Forced Peace Treaty! This single card makes it to where you and I cannot attack each other until my next turn."

"And yet you think that will save you?"

'Yuna' remained silent.

"Exactly," he continued to chuckle, "You don't have the skill to defeat us…"

"It figures YOU would say that…"

'Yuna', Grey, and Raven, had all heard this unknown voice, and searched for exactly where it was. No one knew where it came from, until they noticed a figure on top of a sand dune. He was a muscular figure, concealed by the darkness of the Shadow Realm, with a pair of gauntlets. But not just any gauntlets…

They were gauntlets covered with golden plates, and on the plates on the back of the hand, were the eye of Anubis. In fact, they looked as if they were Millennium Items.

"You guys have been deceiving Yuna since the beginning," the voice said, cocky, and full of confidence, "And now, you've called upon the judgement of the Demon King!"

And in that moment, deep inside, Yuna knew exactly who it was.

A point which was proven the moment Brandon Monarco stepped out of the shadows, and revealed himself. He was currently shirtless, showing off his incredible physique, and looked to be in an incredibly bad mood.

"And just who are you," Questioned Grey, only to be shut up by Brandon's glare.

"I'm a lot of things. The Demon King, a Shadow Duelist, and a man who hates cheaters! And two against one is hardly a fair duel, despite the fact that you've been losing even though you've been cheating. In fact, the only reason I'm here is to punish you two."

"So that's why you've come to my assistance, Mr. Monarco."

"Of course… Yugi Muto…"

The entire crowd went silent, as Grey quickly realized something that terrified him. _'Wait,'_ Grey thought _'If what he says is true, then we've been facing the great King of Games! How are we supposed to win against that guy!?'_ But then, he thought that this was all a bluff…

"If you know who I am," 'Yugi-Yuna' said, "Then you know that I have no intention losing this duel, regardless of if you join or not. But if you wish to join in, and help me fight against them, then be my guest."

Brandon smirked. "As you wish, my king…"

And with that, only four more words came out of Brandon's mouth:

"LET'S ROCK AND ROLL!"

* * *

 **And we're almost into the full real stuff that is going to happen later on! It's going to be beautiful! We are finally going to see Yuna's personality move forward instead of him just constantly wondering about what's going on inside his mind, and the storyline will get really fleshed out, and awesome!**

 **Also, this episode was intended to be a two parter, but as it turns out, I can't do that because there is just too much info to cover, that I now have to make it a three parter. Oh, well… that's probably a good thing.**

 **Also, I'm working on a new scheduling system, and now, every 3rd week of the month is Yu-Gi-Oh (which is actually harder than you'd think considering I have to plan out duels in order to make them make sense, along with writing the actual chapter. So Week 3 may just be the week that requires the most work), and the fourth week, I may just end up adding in an extra chapter (considering that Week 4 of every month is another project I'm planning, along with just going back to other projects on a whim, before I restart the cycle). So, if you guys are willing to wait like a month or a couple of weeks for a chapter, then it'll all end good…**

 **Also, I have another 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' Project in the plans. Something about two brothers, a pair of warriors, dark powers, and Pendulum Monsters (as well as trying to be ridiculously ambitious and make the biggest Yu-Gi-Oh crossover I possibly can). It may come out this week, because I already have the first duels planned out, and the characters thought up. But if not, then maybe next week (given that week is going to be 'anything else I feel like working on' week)**

 **Also, just curious, but what's everyone's opinion of Grey and Raven? Would you guys want to see them again? Would you want them to die a horrible bloody death? Let me know.**

 **Anyway…**

 **CUSTOM CARDS:**

 **Brothers in Arms: Special Summon two level 4 or lower Warrior-type monsters from you hand or deck. When this turn ends, banish the monsters summoned by this effect, if they are still face up on your side of the field.**

 **Silver Divine: Blade General (LIGHT, Level 4, Warrior/Effect, ATK: 1900/DEF: 100): Once per turn, while you control this face-up Attack Position monster, target 1 Defense Position monster your opponent controls; switch that target to Attack Position.**

 **Silver Divine: Shield General (EARTH, Level 4, Warrior/Effect, ATK: 100/DEF: 1900): Once per turn, while you control this face-up Defense Position monster, target 1 Attack Position monster your opponent controls; switch that target to Defense Position.**

 **Silver Divine: Twin Axwielder (EARTH, Level 4, Warrior/Effect, ATK: 1400/DEF: 700): This card can attack twice in the same battle phase. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, inflict 700 damage to your opponent's LP.**

 **Flag Bearing Fiend (DARK, Level 1, Fiend/Effect, ATK: 0/DEF: 0): When your opponent declares a direct attack, you can special summon this card from your hand; end your opponent's Battle Phase.**

 **Ultimate Gear Army (SPELL): Discard as many cards as possible from your hand; special summon 'Ancient Gear' monsters equal to the number of cards you discarded. During your next standby phase, banish all cards summoned by this card's effect.**

 **The Magician's Gracious Gesture (SPELL): Target 1 spell card in your hand. You can use that spell card's effect twice this turn.**

 **Demon Power Holder (DARK, Level 3, Fiend/Effect, ATK: 400/DEF: 400): When you control two or more Fiend type monsters, you can banish this card from your hand or deck; add 1 trap card from your deck to your hand.**

 **Sword of the Silver Deity (EQUIP SPELL): Equip this card to 1 Warrior or Spellcaster-type monster you control. That card gains 500 ATK and DEF. If it attacks, it gains ATK equal to half the ATK of the attack target, during damage calculation only.**

 **Ancient Gear Temple (FIELD SPELL): All Ancient Gear monsters you control gain 500 ATK. If you control no 'Ancient Gear' monsters, destroy this card.**

 **Forced Peace Treaty (TRAP): Activate this card when your opponent declares an attack. Negate the attack, and end your opponent's battle phase. Until your next standby phase, your opponent cannot declare an attack on you, and you cannot declare an attack on your opponent.**

* * *

 **Next time: The conclusion to Yuna's first Shadow Duel.**


	13. Ep 13: First Shadow Duel Part 3

**And so, Gusto has returned, and has got an amazing bunch of stuff going on in this chapter. A lot of important stuff is going to be revealed in this chapter, and the story is going to move forward a little. Also, we will find out a bit about a certain counterfeiter who appeared before. This chapter may take a bit of reading between the lines.**

 **Now, let's continue!**

* * *

Grey and Raven were baffled at the sight of the man before them. He was pretty tall, standing 6'0 even, and very muscular, with long black hair, and a pair of piercing emerald eyes.

He was shirtless while standing on the cliff (when he was silhouetted by the darkness), but had inexplicably put on a cloak on the way down from the dune he was standing on. Almost as if he was trying to conceal something…

"So," Brandon said, his eyes holding an intense amount of rage, "You trick Yuna, and then you cheat to try and beat him. You guys are genuinely pathetic, you know that?"

Grey was the only one of them to respond. "Shut up," he exclaimed, "We're better duelists than you could ever be! Right Raven?" He looked over to his partner, who only kept silent.

"I don't believe that Raven agrees with you," Yugi-Yuna said, "Now, do tell me you have a plan, Mr. Monarco…"

"First off," Brandon said, drawing his card, "Brandon's fine. Second, I do. And it starts with this! The field spell Hell Zone!"

Now, Grey had placed the field spell 'Ancient Gear Temple' down earlier, and he thought this guy was an idiot to try to set another down. That was until he saw electricity coming from his D-Pad, and his field spell being destroyed.

"That's right," Brandon said, "Hell Zone corrupts and overpowers any other field spell out. But in exchange, we all get two cards to our hand." And so, the four all drew two cards each. Grey drew two random 'Ancient Gear' monsters, Raven got his last 'Zoa' and another 'Metalmorph', Yugi-Yuna got two 'Silver Divines', and Brandon…

"It's time to unleash some hell…"

The way he said that was already capable of scaring the pants off of most anyone, but the look in his eyes had the two Shadow Duelists absolutely terrified. Grey looked to be on the verge of wetting himself, and Raven, despite keeping his expression quite neutral, was not faring any better.

"So," Yugi-Yuna asked, "What exactly is your plan?"

"First, to instill some fear, which I seem to be doing. Second… to use these!"

Without warning, Brandon forced his sleeves up, to reveal a pair of gauntlets. They were leather on the main part of the gauntlet, but were covered in solid gold plates, with two closed lines on the plates over each back of the hand. Immediately, Yuna felt like he recognized them…

"Feeling something familiar," Brandon said. Yugi-Yuna just looked at him and said "Your gauntlets strike a certain chord with me. They look like a Millennium Item, but… not like anyone I've ever seen."

Brandon was about to explain it, but was cut off by Raven. "How is it you possess the Millennium Gauntlets? We've been searching for them for so long, only to find that some child has them?"

"Millennium Gauntlets?"

Brandon gave his signature smirk, and told Yugi-Yuna "I'll explain a little later. But for now, just know that they'll be seeing pain thank to 'em. Now then… to continue my move, I'll be playing the card 'Field of Demons'! This card lets me special summon every fiend in my hand, provided they are sent to the grave at the end of the turn. So I'll be summoning Theban Nightmare and Witty Phantom!"

(A demon made of bluish mist appears. **ATK: 1500** /DEF: 500)

(An orange skinned demon in a dark purple tuxedo, appears. **ATK:1400** /DEF: 1300)

"And as some added bonuses, my fiends get an extra 1000 Attack Points, and any time I summon a fiend or dragon, I get to draw another card."

(Theban Nightmare's ATK: 1500 + 1000 = **2500** )

(Witty Phantom's ATK: 1400 + 1000 = **2400** )

Yugi-Yuna was immediately impressed by Brandon's cards. "My my," he said, "Your deck seems to be very in tune with you, giving you such a powerful first hand."

"And this is only the beginning," Brandon said, "I have everything I need for an OTK right here. But I'm going to need to borrow a lot of your strength."

"Take whatever you need."

"Thanks… Now then, time for you two to fight against a true Demon! But first, I'll be playing the spell card 'Demonic Tactics'! Now by sending two fiends away, I can special summon a fiend from my deck. And the one I choose is…"

Yugi-Yuna could feel a very powerful aura coming from Brandon's deck, especially from the card that he decided to summon.

"Let me introduce you to a master of Hell! Hoah[1]! The Murderous Archfiend!"

The two fiend types on Brandon's field are both destroyed, becoming a very dark purple mist. That purple mist then came together to create a dark orb in midair, which then exploded to reveal a massive creature, which looked like the 'Summoned Skull' only much more menacing. It had black skin, and was covered in bright blood red bone armor, with empty eye holes, razor sharp teeth and claws, and wielding a giant blood red bone scythe. From the empty eye holes, bright red lights appeared, and they glowed like fire.

They could see the rage in his eyes.

(ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500)

(Murderous Archfiend's ATK + Hell Zone Bonus: **4000** )

The creature came with a groan, and looked at the field. Then it spoke, which was something Grey and Raven weren't prepared for. "I see that we are set to finish these two off," 'Haoh' said, "And I see that the other cards have set you up for success."

"Indeed," Brandon gave a powerful smirk, "And now, for those two, I'll continue show them hell!"

"And how do you intend to do that," Grey asked arrogantly, trying to make himself look like a bigshot. "Well, if you shut up," Brandon responded, "I'll tell you. By activating the spell card 'Vengeful Reaction' in my hand, I can pay half of my Life Points, and bind[2] together any two cards on the field to Reaction Summon a monster in my deck, as long as the attributes match up."

(Brandon's LP: 2000)

"Yugi, this is where I'm going to need to borrow your strength."

Yugi-Yuna's response was instant, with no hesitation. "You have it. Use as much of it as you need."

"Thank you. So now, I bind together Yugi's Dark Magician and Yuma's Utopia…"

Dark Magician and Utopia both nodded, before turning into purple energy and golden energy respectively.

"To Summon the grand warrior, and protector of Hell itself…"

The two beams went up in midair, and combined together to create a large orb of golden energy.

"As well as your doom! Reaction Summon! Golden Guard of the Gates of Hell!"

The orb immediately rockets downward, before exploding in a flash of light. Once the blinding light faded, all that was left on the ground was a golden door. In response, Grey was laughing hysterically, and Raven had a bit of a smirk on his face.

"I can see my partner is unable to compose himself in time," Raven said, pulling off a light chuckle. "So I must ask. Is this genuinely your big play?" It was now Brandon's turn to give a smirk…

As the doors were literally blown off of their hinges.

"I officially retract my last statement…" Raven slowly said, trying to keep his calm demeanor (and failing slightly).

The creature began to walk up from a staircase that was underneath the door, before making its final appearance on the battlefield. It looked near identical to Brandon in physical appearance, the only real difference being that he had on a golden chestplate, fauld, greaves, and the same golden gauntlets that Brandon himself was wearing. And of course, he had Brandon's same emerald eyes, only burning with far more anger.

(ATK: 2800/DEF: 2200)

(ATK + Hell Zone Bonus: **3800** )

"And to top it all off," Brandon said, a near sinister smirk on his face now, "Vengeful Reaction has one last bonus for Golden Guard. For the first turn he's on the field, his original Attack is doubled."

(2800 x 2 + 1000 = **6600!** )

"6600 Attack Points," Grey immediately stopped laughing, and began to get scared. Such power could destroy them easily, and that power was now easily accessible for Brandon. But judging by the look of fear on Raven's face, and the look on Brandon's face, that this wasn't the end.

"To continue…" Brandon said, "I'm going to play this last card. Archfiend Blood Lightning! Since I control a 'Murderous Archfiend', I can discard my entire hand, and banish every monster that has less Attack than 3000. Haoh, you know what to do!"

"As you command, Brandon," 'Haoh' said in a low voice. Without a single warning, a bright red lightning bolt came from nowhere, which immediately went to Haoh's scythe, to be absorbed. Hoah's eyes lit up, and he raised his scythe above his head, and the brought it down to the ground, releasing a powerful red shockwave, causing most of the monsters on the field to be destroyed. The only ones left were Grey's 'Gadjitron Dragons' and Raven's 'Metalzoa'…

"And then there were four…"

Grey and Raven looked at the source of the voice, to find that it was in fact the 'Golden Guard' that had said it, instead of Brandon himself. The two had nearly identical voices, but 'Golden Guard's' simply had much more grit and ferocity in it. Which was understandable, given the dangerously angry expression he was wearing.

"So, Brandon," Golden Guard said, "You bring me out to take down these pushovers?" Brandon raised an eyebrow, but smiled, and retorted with, "Is there a problem with that?"

"Not at all… Now let's rain down some destruction."

"With pleasure. Now first off, Haoh! Destroy the first Gadjiltron Dragon."

(Haoh slashes at the mechanized dragon with his scythe, and the machine explodes. Grey's LP: **1100** )

"And now, Golden Guard finishes Grey off. Destroy his other Gadjiltron Dragon."

And at this point, Grey was regretting playing that 'Negate Attack' earlier. Golden Guard wastes no time, going in and punching clean through the ugly beast, causing an explosion of shrapnel, and sending Grey flying.

(Grey's LP: **0** )

"Dammit," Raven said in his usual monotone voice, "Oh well… I suppose at least in the end, that momentary onslaught is over."

"Oh really? Well then, you are going to hate Golden Guard's ability."

It was without question that Raven was screwed at this point, so he just decided to shut his mouth, and let Brandon continue. "Golden Guard's best ability is that once per turn, when it destroys a monster by battle, it gains the destroyed monster's attack, and can attack again!"

The eyes on the back of the golden gauntlets on both Brandon and Golden Guard had been close for the entirety of the duel. But now, the golden eyes had opened, to reveal the 'pupil' of the eye of Anubis that was on it. But instead of the normal golden circle, it was a black circle, with a red slitted pupil.

"That's interesting," Yugi-Yuna noted, "That is unlike any eye of Anubis I've seen on a Millennium Item before." Brandon simply smirked, and said "Clearly, you have never seen Anubis when he's mad."

(Golden Guard's ATK: 6600 + 3000 = **9600!** )

If Raven wasn't fearing for his life before, he was now…

"Now then… Golden Guard, destroy Metalzoa!"

Without another word, Golden Guard rushed over in an attempt to destroy Metalzoa, who was bracing for impact. None of them could hear him, but Raven whispered to himself "Metalzoa… hopefully, I'll be able to reunite with you in the Shadow Realm…" He closed his eyes, and waited for his death.

It never came…

* * *

Before Golden Guard could destroy Metalzoa, it was stopped by a massive wall of flames [3] that forced the monster back, and made everyone unbelievably surprised to see that the fire, and then forcing Yugi-Yuma and Brandon to dodge when they see a stream of fire [3] coming towards them.

"That was just a warning shot [3]! Now stay away while I settle this."

Yugi-Yuna and Brandon looked over to see the hooded man from before. They hadn't gotten a very good look at him, but they got to see that he had a few scars over his arms, as well as his piercing golden eyes. While Brandon and Yugi-Yuna weren't impressed by his appearance, Grey was relieved.

But before Grey even got one word out, he had his head abruptly slammed into Raven's head.

"Not a word out of either of you," the Hooded Man said, "You call upon my Shadow Powers just to take down those two? And then, you have to cheat a bunch just to end up failing in the end!"

Grey was shocked by this sudden burst of anger, but was unable to say anything in response. Raven on the other hand, only had to say "Forgive us for our incompetence, master." But the glare on the face of the hooded man stopped him from saying anything more.

"It's not your incompetence I'm annoyed at," the man said, "It's the lying and cheating that's pissing me off."

"Wait, what!?" Grey got back up off the ground. "So doing what you told us to is pissing you off!? You told us to get Yuna to duel us!" He then proceeded to shrink back as the hooded man met him with a cold stare.

"But I've pretty much beaten the message into your thick skulls by this point, so you should know how this works." The hooded man's tone was cold and even, in comparison to the last time that Yuna and Brandon met him, where he sounded bored, and uninterested in everything. But it was what he next said that got them:

"We do this with honor, or we don't do it at all."

Yugi-Yuna and Brandon were both shocked by this, and more shocked by what happened next. Grey and Raven got their heads bashed together by the hooded man, and he then proceeded to take the cards that they betted, and look over to Yugi-Yuna.

"You pretty much beat them already," the man said, "In fact, I can automatically assume you were going to win from the start, because that dumbass Grey can't do anything right, and the only reason he had a chance was because he was partnered up with Raven. So here."

The hooded man threw the two cards to Yugi-Yuna, who saw that they were 'Thunder End Dragon' and 'Lucius, Ranger of the Silver Divines', and then told him, "A word of advice in the future for Yuna. Tell him he can't believe everything they say right off the bat."

"What do you mean," Yugi-Yuna asked. The man was about to respond, but was interrupted. "They told you that you can't refuse a Shadow Duel, right?" Yugi-Yuna nodded, and Xel went back into the conversation. "Well, that's a lie. That idiot Grey probably convinced Raven that it was a good idea, but they forgot that if I figure it out, the duel is invalidated."

"So I don't get to destroy anyone," Golden Guard asked, sounding kind of disappointed. The hooded man simply sighed, and said "Since Grey technically lost before I got here, I guess you can obliterate him."

"WHAT!?"

*Smack*

"You heard me!" The hooded man exclaimed, as he bitchslapped Grey. Brandon laughed at this, and at Grey's weak whimpering, while Raven seemed to be indifferent. The hooded man looked back at Brandon, and said "And what are you laughing about?"

"I was going to destroy him," Brandon said, "But I'm starting to think letting 'em live and face your judgement would be a much more hilarious punishment."

"Interesting that you would think to do such a thing when the New Millennia Gauntlets are right over your hands."

"Ah, so you call them that too?"

"I figure I might as well."

Brandon chuckled. "Interesting…"

"What?"

"A scumbag with some honor, and a bit of a naming theme? That's new."

The hooded man began to glare at Brandon, and Brandon began to glare back. After only a few seconds, Yugi-Yuna began to interject. "If I may," he said, "Would someone mind explaining to me what these 'New Millennia' Items are?"

"It's simple really," The hooded man said, "They are new Millennium Items, created recently by less brutal means than that of the original. The Archaic Justice has been using them to increase their connection to the Shadow Realm, in hopes of making their plans work."

Yugi-Yuna was paying close attention to the man's words, but one set of words were catching his focus:

"The Archaic Justice?"

Seeing the look of confusion on his face, the hooded man decided it was worth an explanation. "They are my employers. That's all I will tell you, other than that you are my enemy."

"And why is that," Brandon stepped in. He looked ready to attack the man, who simply looked like he didn't care in the slightest. Even so, the tension was very thick.

"It's just the way it is, Monarco. I have goals that I have to reach, and so long as the Archaic Justice can help me reach them, you and I are on opposite sides."

Brandon was irritated by this answer, but he could feel a great bit of hesitance in his tone, as if what he said was forced. As the hooded man began to walk away, he told Grey and Raven to go ahead, and then turned back to Brandon and Yugi-Yuna for a moment. He pulled several small envelopes, a little bigger than the size of a Duel Monsters card, with different names written all on them. "These are for your friends," he said, "Much like the cards that I gave you, these cards best represent your friends. You're going to need them if you want to go against the Archaic Justice."

Without another word, the hooded man turned back around, and was planning to leave. But his plans were stopped when Brandon stopped him one last time. "You said that you would tell me your name last time we met," Brandon said, "Now tell me. At the very least, I gotta know who I'm beating into the ground."

He remained silent for a second, but then decided to speak any. "I'm not sure why you'd want to know the name of a loathsome bastard like myself… but my name is Xel Umant…" That was all he said.

Then he snapped his fingers, and suddenly appeared to have burst into flames. But the flames only lasted for a second, and he was gone when it was over with. Brandon had only one thought about that:

"And people call me dramatic."

* * *

The Shadow Realm had finally began to fade, now that Xel, Grey, and Raven were all gone. All that was left out here was Yugi-Yuna, and Brandon.

"So now," Yugi-Yuna said, "We have an identity by which we can know our enemies by." Brandon nodded at this, and said "Meaning we're going to have to continue to make our decks as strong as we can. If they are trying to defeat us with Shadow Duels, then we will need our decks to be as strong as they can be. Meaning, I may need to borrow your Summoned Skull."

"You have the right to use it any time you need it."

"Thanks, Yugi."

Yugi-Yuna raised an eyebrow. "How is it you know who I am anyway?" He was genuinely curious, due to the fact that he didn't recognize the boy. Though he did have to admit those green eyes did strike him as familiar.

"I figured you wouldn't remember me," Brandon said, a warm smile on his face. "After all, when you met me, I was a weak little boy, who nearly died because he couldn't defend himself…"

A memory ran through Yugi's mind, as he seemed to think back to something that happened back when he was still alive. He had found a young child, defenseless, and nearly dead from being beaten to death, because some muggers wanted to steal his deck. He had those same emerald eyes…

"You're that child I saved?"

"Hell yea. After saving me from death, I was inspired. You were a kickass fighter in life."

Yugi smiled, remembering that day in his mind. He had fought of the group of muggers, and they were insulted to be beaten by a (then) 72 year old man. Yugi had told Brandon that he could be strong, and he was personally incredibly glad to find that his words had an impact on Brandon.

"So now, after being dead for about 8 years, I have been brought back just to work with a duelist who I happened to help. Fate works in interesting ways."

"Speaking of, how are you here?"

"I'll explain it to you later. But for now, do you think we could keep this between us?"

"As you wish. But if they get suspicious, I'm not bailing you out."

"Fair enough."

* * *

Meanwhile, at another part of the desert, Xel walked slowly, with his hands in his pockets, thinking about what he said to the guy.

' _Of a loathsome bastard like myself…'_

Those words rung in his head, and he couldn't shake them out… mainly the fact that he thought they were true. After all he's done…

" _For what it's worth, Xel… I don't think you're a loathsome bastard."_

Xel heard a very familiar voice running through his mind. It was the voice of a young girl, very cutesy, and full of pep. Though those attributes were overshadowed by the concern in her voice. And it wasn't for no reason…

" _Coming from you, it means everything. Knowing that you don't hate me like everyone else…"_

" _I could never ever hate you Xel. You're the most important person in the world to me."_

" _You too. You're my everything…"_

While still walking, Xel opened up his deck box, and took out a single card. And for the first time since this morning, he smiled.

" _I'm still haunted by my failures… but with all my strength, I'll make things better."_

* * *

 **And so, things have moved forward, and I can finally stop with all the mystery. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have revealed right off of the bat that it was Yuma possessing Yuna back in episode 2, but that's okay, because things are moving at an excellent pace in this story. And starting next chapter, I can start focusing on the real stuff, and maybe start focusing on the other characters, instead of spending every bit of my time on Yuna.**

 **And now, we finally know the name of the counterfeiter. He is named Xel Umant, and he is going to be especially important. After all, he has given them important cards, and revealed the existence of new Millennium Items, and of the Archaic Justice. So keep in mind that he is going to be VERY important.**

 **Also...**

 **[1]: Haoh is the name of Brandon's 'Murderous Archfiend'. In Japanese, it means 'Supreme King', and I thought it would be fitting. And if you don't have a good image in your head, basically imagine the anniversary design of the 'Summoned Skull', but more menacing.**

 **[2]: 'Bind' is the term me and my buddy came up with for the summoning of Reaction Monsters. It's like what the term 'Overlay' is for Xyz, or 'Tune' is for Synchro.**

 **[3]: In case I haven't made it clear enough, Xel has pyrokinetic abilities. This will be important later, and have a lot of symbolism for Xel, due to what I plan to reveal about him.**

 **Anyway, custom cards:**

* * *

 **Field of Demons (SPELL): Special Summon as many Fiend-Type monsters from your hand as possible. Send all cards special summoned by this card's effect to the graveyard at the end of this turn.**

 **Demonic Tactics (SPELL): Tribute 2 Fiend-Type monsters; Special Summon 1 level 7 or 8 Fiend-Type monster from your deck.**

 **Murderous Archfiend (DARK, Level 8, Fiend/Effect, ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500): When this card destroys a monster by battle, target 1 set card on the field and destroy it. Once per turn, you can tribute 1 Fiend-Type monster you control; destroy all monsters on your opponent's side of the field with equal or less ATK than the tributed monster.**

 **Vengeful Reaction (SPELL): Pay half of your LP; send any two monsters on the field to the grave, and special summon 1 Reaction Monster from your extra deck that requires monsters with the same attributes as the monsters sent away.**

 **Golden Guard of the Gates of Hell (LIGHT, Level 8, Fiend/Reaction/Effect, ATK: 2800/DEF: 2200): 1 LIGHT monster + 1 DARK monster. This card can't be destroyed by battle or by card effects up to twice per turn. Once per turn, when this card destroys a monster by battle, it can make a second attack, and gains the ATK of the destroyed monster. When this card is destroyed, double the ATK of all monsters you control.**

 **Archfiend Blood Lightning (SPELL): Activate this card only if you control a 'Murderous Archfiend'. Discard your entire hand; banish all monsters your opponent controls whose ATK is lower than the original ATK of 'Murderous Archfiend'.**

* * *

 **Until Next Time!**


	14. Ep 14: The Calm

**Hey guys, Gusto here, and I suppose I have some explaining to do.**

 **So, if you're wondering about the lack of updates lately, I've just been taking a bit of a break lately, due to the hectic-ness that the last month or so has been. So, don't worry. I'm still alive, blood still pumps through my veins, I can still breathe in oxygen, and I can still type down words with my fingers.**

 **And I still do want to continue this story, as well as my other stories, and after the rest period I've taken, I should be able to get back to work. Now that being said, I'm not going to make any crazy promises, or set myself to unrealistic standards in order to get chapters out to you guys (I think I've established that doesn't work for me). The only promise I do make is that I will post when I can.**

 **But that's beside the point. And the point is that I am here with a new chapter. Fair warning: It's a bit shorter than my normal chapters, but it's because I wanted to split up the chapter, based on the more casual moments, and the serious moments that are coming next chapter.**

 **So let's get on with it then, shall we?**

* * *

A few minutes after the duel was over, Yuna regained consciousness, only to nearly lose it again.

As soon as he could control his body again, he tried to move his feet, but found that he felt completely numb. As he tried to return the feeling to his body, he fell down, his body landing on the sand. That's when he started to noticed the effects that duel had on his body. He felt extremely weak, to the point where he didn't think he could stand up. And for another thing, he felt damaged beyond belief. His breathing was heavy, and his heart felt was racing, to the point where he felt like he just fought the toughest fight of his life.

In simple terms, it was horrible.

"You okay," Brandon asked, "You seem a little tired." Yuna's breathing only remained heavy, and Brandon helped him to his feet. "First time in the Shadow Realm, huh?" After Yuna's breathing relaxed a bit, he answered with "No… but it was my first time Dueling in the Shadow Realm…"

To this, Brandon gave a slight grin, and said "You'll get used to it."

Only three minutes after finishing that conversation, feeling started to return to Yuna, so he started to walk on his own the rest of the way back. Not that that was a long time, but it was still an accomplishment to Yuna.

Within five more minutes of that, Yuna ran into Aaron, Jabari, and Kano. And it was obvious to Yuna that Aaron and Jabari were not amused.

"Uh…" Yuna hesitated, "Hey guys." To which he received a slap to the face from Aaron. "Don't you 'Hey Guys' us," he yelled, voice full of annoyance, "We've been searching all over for you!"

"Yeah," Jabari said, a bit calmer, but still annoyed, "We almost got mugged! We had to fight our way through a street gang!"

"And Kano nearly murdered a guy!"

That last part got Yuna's attention. "Wait, repeat that last part," he said, "I may have misheard you."

Aaron looked at him confused, and said "Uh, Kano nearly murdered a dude. While we were getting mugged, one guy sucker-punched him, his eyes turned blood red, and he beat the dude bad." Aaron shuddered, as Jabari added in "There was A LOT of blood."

Yuna looked over to Kano, who had his head hung low, avoiding eye contact. Seeing this, he was shocked to say the least. Ever since he'd met Kano, he never knew him as a violent person, so hearing he did something like that was unbelievable.

"But that's enough about the crazy day we had," Kano said sheepishly, "What happened with you?"

Brandon just casually walked by, and said "We met these two idiots, who I helped Yuna beat into submission."

"Whoa, really," Aaron asked, to which Brandon responded with "Yup. But they were total pushovers. I'm sure even if I weren't there, Yuna could have taken them down effortlessly." That seemed to brighten up Aaron and Jabari's mood quite a bit.

"Alright then," Aaron said, now sounding relieved, "At least we can say you have a good reason for leaving. Grandpa Marik won't hold it against you for Dueling."

"Ah, so you were just worried about getting in trouble. I see how it is."

To this, both Aaron and Jabari looked shocked at this sudden mood change, before Yuna gave them a laugh, signifying it was a joke. "Relax guys, it'll be fine," he said, "Let's just head back, while I can remain conscious. After that, I just wanna head home and pass out."

"Well don't pass out before saying hi to Elaine," Kano told him, "She's been really worried about you."

"Elaine? Oh, you mean Lana?"

"Yeah."

This was a little surprising to Yuna, as he never would have thought Lana would be out Dueling today. _'Maybe she finished, and came by to show me the replay,'_ He rationalized, _'She does seem excited by the prospect of making me impressed.'_

Admittedly, he always found that a bit weird that she'd want to spend so much time around him (he never thought of himself as 'interesting' or 'charming'), but he honestly did appreciate her wanting to spend time around him. It gives him someone to talk to when the others are busy. Now he had a reason to hustle to get back.

"Alright then," He said, "Now let's get a move on before I faint again."

With no more words to say, the group of five started their trip back to the house.

* * *

Within about 10 minutes, they had made it back to the Ishtar household, where Yuna was accidentally tackled to the ground by Lana.

"OW!" Yuna exclaimed, as he fell to the ground, "Easy there, Lana. I'm not in the best condition right now." This got the Yuki girl's attention, as she stood back up, and asked "What happened? Did you fall? Did you get mugged?"

Yuna didn't respond for a moment, as he noted the concern in her voice. It wasn't as if he didn't expect her to be concerned (they were friends after all), but for whatever reason, it sounded… oddly sweet to him.

"No, nothing like that," he finally responded, "I just got in a duel that was rather… let's call it 'intense'." At that same moment, Brandon casually walks by, and says "He was forced into a Shadow Duel, and I helped him kick their asses."

To this, Lana gasped in complete shock. "Oh dear god," she exclaimed, "Are you alright? Did you break anything?" But once again, Yuna didn't answer, because he was focused on Lana's eyes. _'I never noticed that,'_ He thought, _'Do her eyes always get reflective like that when she's worried?'_

He was only brought back to reality when he noticed Lana was looking very upset. "Uh… I'm fine," he says, "I just need to rest some."

A relieved sigh escaped Lana's mouth, and she told Yuna "Then let's get you inside." She then proceeded to stand up, and offer her hand, which Yuna immediately took, and got back to his feet. "Now, come on," she said, "Let's go!" She then took him by the arm, and pulled him in to the house.

And outside, the others just watched. "Is it me, or did she seem like she had even more energy than usual," Brandon questioned, to which Kano replied, "She drank all the coffee this morning."

"Wait, all of it?"

"All of it."

"Son of a bitch!" After that, Brandon just sighed for a moment, "If anyone needs me, I'll be at Dunkin' Donuts."

* * *

Once inside, Lana took him up to the room, and lies him down on a bed. Once he was on the bed, she simply told him "Lemme go get you a drink," and ran out of the room, leaving Yuna to think.

' _Well, this was nice of her,'_ was his first thought, _'I didn't think I'd get such a welcome.'_

And he didn't. He just expected to come back, and rest for a few hours, and maybe see if he can find out anything about the Archaic Justice, or possibly even Xel. He expected this day would be all work, no fun. And admittedly, he was happy to see the amount of energy she had.

' _Maybe I can just take a break,'_ he said, _'And think on how to return the favor. She brightened up my day a little, so I should do something in return.'_

His thought was interrupted, when he heard her walking up the steps. She came up with a water bottle, and handed it to Yuna, who proceeded to take an enormous swig. "Thanks," he said, "I needed a bit of that." Lana smiled, and said "No problem. I figured you'd need some after the day you've had."

"Yea," Yuna said, "And some rest would be great as well. When I get the chance, of course."

"Well, if you need to, I can leave…"

"No!" He said, almost on instinct, and with a little more energy than he intended. Slightly embarrassed, he corrected himself. "I mean… not if you don't want to. I wouldn't mind the company."

To that, Lana gave a smile, and says, "Well, okay. What do you want to do?" And Yuna had only one real answer:

"Let's just… talk some. Just… tell me about yourself."

And Lana obliged wholeheartedly. After that, they talked about a number of things, with Yuna asking about Lana's family, her favorite things, and her dreams, with Lana doing the same for Yuna. And if he was a little less prideful, he would admit to her that he enjoyed it.

But at least he could admit it to himself. Along with that, while they talked, he was able to notice he was able to notice a few more things about her.

It was mostly just little things, like her smile, and her laugh, which were both surprisingly soothing to him. He also noticed that her eyes shine when she was happy, and that she played with her hair when she was thinking.

It was honestly kind of cute to him.

After about a half-hour, he let out a yawn, and Lana knew what that meant. "I'll leave you to your sleep," she said with a bit of a smile, "If you wake up by midnight, we might be able to talk some more." Yuna smiled to that, and told her "I'd like that."

And with that, Lana left the room, leaving Yuna alone with his thoughts.

Before today, he had never really spent a large amount of time around Lana. And not for no reason. He rarely thought on people unless he had a reason to. Only now did he get a full reason, and it was one that he had known since the duel at the Jutetsu Duel School.

Back then, she admitted to liking him. And this was something that confused Yuna quite a bit.

Even though he knew she liked him, he wasn't able to return those feelings, mainly because he knew so little about her. Not only that, but he never really cared about relationships, or anything like that. He just… was indifferent to the concept.

But after that, he could kind of already see that he did like the girl as a person. He knew he liked her as a duelist, and in their duels, he was able to understand a lot of stuff about her simply by that. She was able to communicate a lot through her actions in a Duel alone. And that was what intrigued him about her in the first place. She was just so… expressive.

' _I still don't know if I like her like that,'_ he said to himself, _'But I suppose I'll figure that out soon enough.'_

And hopefully he would. He had always been curious what it felt like to have a girlfriend, but never found a girl that sparked his interest. Not even Janine, one of his closest friends, was anywhere near that level. Maybe Lana was the chance he was waiting for.

' _But then again… maybe I shouldn't go for it just yet.'_

And admittedly, this was a reasonable course of actions. After all, he was only beginning to feel this way today. And he was rarely the kind to rush into things. He wanted time to think on it, and he was just lucky he had some time to think on it.

' _Not only that, but there's also the issue of the Archaic Justice…'_

He never was the kind to want to put his friends into any unnecessary danger, and having a lover would only put said lover into even more danger. It was a risky move, and while Yuna was the kind to take risks, he did to keep others out of harm's way.

And those were the things that made the idea of pursuing a relationship even more unappealing at the moment.

' _Oh well… I'll figure it out eventually.'_

And he would have to, because at that moment, sleep began to overtake him. It was very quick, and didn't even give him time to react. He just fell into it, and didn't even try to resist.

He did say he needed his rest, after all…

* * *

 **Several Hours Later**

* * *

Yuna heard a loud crashing noise, and awoke with a start. Looking out the window, he saw it was very dark outside, and looking for the source of the noise, he saw that the door was kicked down by Kano. "You have to get out here," he said, breathing heavy, "No time to explain! Come on! We gotta go!"

Yuna didn't even question. He knew if Kano was terrified, then it must be something bad. So, he got out of the bed immediately, and headed downstairs with his friend. As they headed down, Yuna noticed his friend looked rather beat up, and seemed to be unquestionably scared.

And once he got outside, he understood why.

The first thing he noticed (even before the chilling air) was the strange men out in front of the house. They were mostly dressed in similar robes to what Grey and Raven had on earlier, and most of them had Duel Disks.

Virtually everyone was on the ground, unconscious, with the exception of Brandon, who was doing a good job holding most of the armed men off with quick kicks and strong punches. Along with that, both Marik and Odion were doing some decent fighting of their own.

But what made him the most shocked, is that he saw Aaron and Jabari dueling against another man, wearing slightly more decorated robes, and with a golden sword held in a red sheath on his side. And they were losing viciously…

"Blood King! Attack!"

On the field, a monster attacked Jabari directly, taking away the rest of the duo's Life Points. And as it did, both of them screamed in agony, before falling to the ground.

"Aaron! Jabari!" Yuna screamed, as he came over to the two. When he saw their eyes, he saw that they were blank and lifeless. And when he saw it, he recognized it immediately. It was similar to what he and Kano saw in Hayden's eyes before he faded away.

He could tell what happened, and it only helped to invoke some fury within him.

"Kisama!" Yuna yelled, his left eye letting off a white, flame-like aura. The man looked back, allowing Yuna a chance to look at him again. He had wavy silver hair, and very dark red eyes. But there was something about his smile that just screamed 'sadism, but with a hint of honor'.

"I see I have your attention now," the man said, his voice low, but strong, "You'll have to forgive my methods. It was the only way to get you out here."

"You'd better have a good reason for doing what you did," Yuna said in a low growl, "Otherwise I will break you!" The man only smirked at that, and said "I'm only doing what I was ordered to. Xel said that now was the perfect time for this battle."

"Don't trust him, Yuna," he heard Brandon say, as he was fighting off a group of warriors, "He wields the New Millennia Sword. He's dangerous."

Both Yuna and the man looked over to Brandon, who was kicking his opponents away left and right. Upon seeing it, the man smirked, and said "I see you're friends with the Freestyle Taekwondo fighter over there. I must admit, he's quite skilled for someone so young."

"You're damn right about that," Brandon said, as he performed a powerful rising knee to one of the men, "Now get to the point, fancy boy!"

"I made my point. Xel said that I am to face Yuna. Right here, right now."

Yuna let out another low growl at the mention of Xel, the white flame around his eye dying down a bit. "So, that bastard Xel sent you," he said, "Well then, I guess we both know what to do."

The man nodded. "I'd say 'name your price', but I assume all you want back is the souls of your cousins."

"No duh, Sherlock. Now, can we get to it?"

"Anxious, are we? Well, first, I figure I should tell you my name. I am Vice, and tonight, I am your opponent."

Yuna quickly ran upstairs and grabbed his equipment, before returning downstairs, with his Duel Disk attached, and his cards already in it. "I see you are ready then," Vice said, "But I can guess you know this will be no normal duel."

Without warning, Vice unsheathed the golden blade, and stabbed it into the ground. Within only a few seconds, a dark aura appeared around them, and they were engulfed in the Shadow Realm in an instant.

Both men activated the devices, and only said two words:

"LET'S DUEL!"

* * *

 **Yuna is now to face Vice, in a shadow Duel with cataclysmic results? Will he prevail in the end? Or will his journey be cut short?**

 **Tune in next chapter to find out!**


	15. Ep 15: 'The Storm'

**So, I just want to get into this, but I was given a question from a guest review, that I feel I must answer.**

 **To answer your question, Jaden actually has taken over Yuna, but it was in a scene where I didn't necessarily make it clear. Remember that Action Duel with Wake and Will about 9 chapters ago, and that scene where Lana got advice from her Grandpa Jaden about not giving up? Well, in that scene, my intent was to have it to where Yuna was possessed by Jaden, so that Jaden could give out that message. But I guess that point didn't get across, and Jaden technically didn't help Yuna win the duel.**

 **But as far as helping Yuna win a duel, Jaden has not taken over Yuna for two reasons. The first reason is Yuna hasn't dueled much just yet, because the others of the group have also been Dueling (mainly so that I can introduce all of the characters more easily). And the second reason is because I have been wanting Yuna to come into his own. Whenever I build a 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' OC, I want them to be as fleshed out as I can make them (that's why I've been focusing so much on Liam in 'Cul-De-Sac Duelists', even though it is an 'Ed Edd n Eddy' crossover). I want there to be more to Yuna than 'Oh hey, he's this guy who has the ability to be the other four protagonists'.**

 **I hope that cleared it up for you, and sorry if that was a bit long-winded. I am just extremely passionate about this stuff.**

 **Anyway, let's get started.**

* * *

(Yuna's LP: 4000)

(Vice's LP: 4000)

"I'll go first," Yuna stated, as he drew his card. It was Zwei, the second of his three 'Blue-Eyes White Dragons'. Normally, he would have been particularly happy about that, but right now, he happened to have a bit of a dead hand.

' _Damn,'_ He thought to himself, _'Not a good way to start.'_ But of course, Yuna had to keep his cool in this fight. All he said was "I set a face down, and end my turn."

"My turn," stated Vice, as he drew a card. "And to start, I play Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your face down."

(The card is destroyed, leaving Yuna's field empty.)

"And then, I'll play the Spell Card 'Blood Oath'. By discarding 'Blood Gardna' from my hand, I can draw two cards." He did just that, and drew two cards. "Next, I'll special summon Blood Shadow!"

(A red-hooded warrior, with his face veiled in darkness, and his right arm looking to be made of pure darkness, appears. **ATK: 500** /DEF: 0)

Vice smiled at the warrior on his field, before saying "This is an excellent card. The only downside is, that when it is special summoned, you get to draw a card."

Not wanting to waste such a valuable advantage as hand advantage, Yuna drew his card. And he was very glad to see that it was a piece of the puzzle he needed. But his excitement didn't last for long.

"And next, because I control a Blood monster, I can special summon Blood Fire! And when he's special summoned, he can burn you for 500 Life Points!"

(Another red-hooded warrior, with a right arm made of fire, appears. **ATK: 500** /DEF: 0)

(The monster then proceeds to shoot a stream of fire at Yuna, who feels the pain almost immediately. Yuna's LP: **3500** )

"And with that, I'll set two cards face down, and end my turn."

"Then my turn," Yuna said, trying to ignore the pain, "I draw!" When he saw what the card he drew was, he immediately hatches a plan. "I'll discard Silver Divine: Disciple of Sin, to draw two cards." And of course, he knew that meant he was staking this on luck. _'Let's just hope it comes through for me…'_

Looking at the cards he drew, he knew it did come through for him.

"Alright, here I go," exclaimed Yuna, with a smirk on his face, "Because you control a monster and I don't, I can special summon Silver Divine – Swordsman of Darkness!"

(An armor-clad warrior with a black-bladed sword appears. **ATK: 2100** /DEF: 2400)

"And next, I'll play Ancient Rules, to special summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand! Come on out, Ein!"

( **ATK: 3000** /DEF: 2500)

"And that's not even the end. Because I special summoned a Light Monster, I can special summon my Priestess of Light!"

(A white clad girl, with short light-blue hair, and a staff shaped like a spear, appears. **ATK: 2400** /DEF: 2100)

Vice looked to be impressed by this play, but it was obvious that he was still hiding something. However, at the moment, Yuna didn't care. He was too busy trying to ignore the pressure in his chest from the Shadow Realm.

"And next, by tributing both my swordsman and my priestess, I can summon my second Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Come on out, Zwei!"

( **ATK: 3000** /DEF: 2500)

"And next, I overlay them to Xyz summon Thunder End Dragon!"

(A massive electrified dragon appears. **ATK: 3000** /DEF: 2000)

If Vice wasn't shocked before, he was a bit more now. "And here's the best part," Yuna said, "By removing one Overlay Unit, I can destroy all other monsters on the field! Your Blood monsters are done!" And upon hearing that, Vice smirked. "I'm afraid not. By banishing Blood Gardna from my graveyard, I can negate the effect, and destroy your monster!"

As soon as Thunder End Dragon's lightning approaches the Blood Monsters, it fades, along with Thunder End Dragon roaring in agony, before being destroyed. Yuna's field was empty, and there was only one card left he could play...

"I set one face down, and end my turn."

Vice smiled, and told Yuna "That wasn't bad, but you were foolish to go in without a backup plan." He then drew his card, and his smile became a smirk. "I play the spell card known as Blood Cain! For this turn only, any Blood Monsters that leave the field make you lose 500 Life Points, and makes me gain 500 Life Points."

' _Oh no…'_ Yuna thought, his mind a bit fuzzy because of the pain, _'He's already got two, and I don't doubt that he's got more in his hand. This is going to hurt, isn't it?'_

The answer to that question was given almost immediately.

"First," Vice said, "To set this up, I must special summon another Blood Shadow. And while it may let you draw a card, it's worth it. For what I next have planned will be detrimental to you."

It was now Yuna's turn to be a bit shocked.

"I sacrifice my 3 Blood monsters…"

(Yuna's LP: 3500 – 1500 = **2000** )

(Vice's LP: 4000 + 1500 = **5500** )

"To bring out the most powerful of the Blood Monsters! I special summon Blood King!"

(A shirtless, red hooded warrior, with pale skin, and a silver sword appeared. **ATK: 1500** /DEF: 1500)

"Sure he might not seem like much of a threat," Vice said, upon seeing Yuna's look of 'Uh… what?', "But just you wait. Blood King… ATTACK!"

The monster accepted the command, and rushed in to strike at Yuna. But before it could, Yuna activated his face-down. "Call of the Haunted," he said, "With this, I can bring back Zwei from my grave." The Blue-Eyes in question appeared almost immediately, and Vice forced himself to call off the attack.

"If that's the case," Vice said, his expression unreadable, "Then I'll activate Blood King's effect. I can equip a monster on my opponent's side of the field to him, and he will gain that monsters attack and effects."

Within a moment, Zwei roared in pain, before being turned into red crystal, and then turning into blood, that went over and covered 'Blood King'. Once he was covered in the blood, it crystalized once again, covering him in armor, and making his hood look like a cape. He was now more terrifying than before…

(ATK: 1500 + 3000 = **4500** )

"But unfortunately, I can't attack, so I have to end my turn. Your move, Yuna."

Yuna simply looked at his deck, unable to believe what he saw. His own monster was now being used against him, and now he was up against a monster with power equal to his 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon'. He needed to come up with a plan.

And when he looked at what card he drew, he did. "Looks like the goddess of victory smiles upon me," Yuna said, "I play Monster Reborn, to special summon back Ein from the grave!"

( **ATK: 3000** )

"And while I know I can't beat your Blood King through force, I'll be using strategy. With Lightning Vortex, I can discard Drei from my hand, and destroy it!"

Only a second later, a lightning bolt came out of the card, and struck down Blood King like a vengeful deity. Seeing that the field was finally open, Yuna had his chance to break his opponent down. And it was one he was needing.

"Ein, ATTACK!"

And as the monster went in to strike, Vice smirked again, and said "I'll activate the effect of Blood Shadow in my grave. By banishing it, I can negate the attack, and destroy the attacking monster." A dark energy then came out of Vice's Duel Disk, and enveloped Ein in a black energy, before crushing him. Once again, Yuna was without anything he could use…

"I end my turn…"

It was at this point that Yuna was beginning to doubt himself. Not only was the pain he feeling from the Shadow Realm excruciating, but he was starting to feel very weak. He had nothing on his field, and if the next attack to go through was more than 2000 ATK, he was doomed.

' _Is this how it ends for me?'_ He questioned, starting to doubt if he could beat Vice like this.

"It's my turn," Vice said, breaking him out of his trance, "And I'll play 1 face-down, and play the spell card 'Blood Sacrifice'! With this, I can special summon a Blood Monster from my grave, by giving up Life Points equal to the monster's attack. And as such, I'll be bringing back Blood King!"

(Vice's LP: 5500 – 1500 = **4000** )

( **ATK: 1500** )

"And now, I'll attack you directly! Bloody Blade!"

The moment this command was given, the monster went over, and stabbed clean through Yuna, with his silver sword being covered in blood. Speaking of blood, Yuna currently coughed some up, and could feel the pain multiplying even further.

(Yuna's LP: **500** )

Once the blade was out of him, he could see that he didn't truly get left with a stab wound, but that it had still been enough to hurt him viciously. He could barely stand now, and he was forced to a knee because of it. He had nothing, and if he didn't get something to play next round, he was doomed…

"I see you're finally understanding…"

Yuna looked up, to see Vice standing across from him, with a smirk on his face. "Do you want to know why I am winning, Yuna?" But he just remained silent as his opponent continued to speak. "If you want to know, then I will tell you. It's because of how interconnected my deck is."

There was a brief silence between them, as Yuna just took in this piece of information to think on. "Yuna, even though we're enemies, I must tell you the truth of the matter. And the truth of the matter is that your deck is not strong enough to face the Archaic Justice.

"We have access to virtually every card in existence, and a deck that is a mesh of several unrelated archetypes will only get you so far. After all, I'm one of the Archaic Justice's top Shadow Duelists."

Yuna was speechless. He didn't know what to say in response to that, other than "So, you mean to say…"

Vice only nodded. "With the way your deck is set up right now, you will NEVER be able to take down the Archaic Justice. And you'll never defeat me like this, meaning this will be your last duel."

And this got Yuna to think.

' _If what he says is true,'_ He said to himself mentally, _'Then I'm doomed. Is this… where it all ends?'_ And then, he began to think on it. All of the things he had wanted to do would be cut short, and he would never get the chance to reach his maximum potential. And he didn't want that…

' _I can't let that happen!'_ He told himself, as he clenched his empty hand into a fist. He refused to let this be where he ends. He's a Kaiba, damn it! His grandfather went through worse than this, and that was way early into the game of Duel Monsters.

' _I must continue onward!'_

From the other side of the field, Vice just watched, as Yuna's breath went from very loud and pained to quiet and focused.

' _I can't give up!'_

Yuna stood up, the pain in his body suddenly becoming irrelevant, as he felt a burning sensation on his skin. He felt a surge of power run through him, as if he suddenly was able to take on a thousand armies. He was not going to back down…

' _Remember what you're fighting for, Yuna!'_

And suddenly, images of his friends and family ran through his mind, all of them strengthening the surge of energy coursing through his veins. And then, for some reason, once he thought of Lana, something in him seemed to snap.

' _I WON'T LOSE HERE!'_

"I see you're feeling better," Vice said with a bit of a chuckle, "So tell me Yuna, do you still plan to fight? Because if you do, then you will need a miracle."

"Then I shall come up with a miracle," Yuna said, his voice low, but powerful "I will not lose here. I have something I must fight for, and I will not be denied. It's time!" He placed his hand on his deck, and said only one thing.

"I DRAW!"

Out of nowhere, Yuna drew the card with enough force to whip up a small sandstorm. After it calmed, Vice looked over to see what his opponent was doing. And what he saw genuinely shocked him…

First off, Yuna's skin had just gotten extremely light, having gone from a light tan to a near vampiric pale. Speaking on his skin, it looked… scaley, almost like that of a dragon. He snarled at Vice, who got a good look at his teeth. Those might as well be fangs with how sharp they are, and the same could be said for his fingernails (which now made him look like he had claws). And the one glaring thing that Vice noticed above all else was Yuna's glare. His right eye was usually a very dark green, and right now it was a piercing blue, unlike anything Vice had ever seen.

To say he looked terrifying would have been extremely accurate.

"To start," Yuna said, his voice now sounding grittier and more draconic, "I'll play Raigeki, to clear your field of that Blood King of yours!" In an instant, a powerful lightning bolt came down, hitting Blood King head on, and destroying him. Now, they were both blank slates as far as monster cards go.

"And now," he continued, "It's time for me to end you!"

"With what," Vice questioned, "We both have nothing, and all I need is one more turn to destroy you. You cannot beat me!"

"I can still fight with this! Go, SPIRIT-EYES REACTION!"

In a flash of light, the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared on Yuna's side of the field.

"With this card, I can banish the three Blue-Eyes monsters in my grave, to allow me to Reaction Summon any 'Spirit-Eyes' monster from my Extra Deck!"

"Spirit-Eyes!?"

Vice was now perplexed. He had never heard of that archetype before. He knew of 'Blue-Eyes', 'Red-Eyes', and 'Galaxy-Eyes', but he had never heard of 'Spirit-Eyes'. And not knowing got him worried.

"This is the end for you, Vice," exclaimed Yuna, as the three Blue-Eyes flew up in the air, turning into light on the way up, "Ein, Zwei, and Drei! Combine your mighty powers to create an unstoppable force. Reaction Summon! SPIRIT-EYES CHEMICAL DRAGON!"

In a burst of light, a mighty creature appeared. It had faded reddish grey scales, matching in color to the border of the Reaction Cards in color. It had a slender body, but was clearly not lacking in the strength department, with viciously strong legs and arms. And as it spread it's wings (which appeared to be made of bright blue energy), it let out a powerful roar, which Vice could tell meant it was ready to destroy.

( **ATK: ?** /DEF: 0)

"I can see you're in awe," Yuna said, "But the fun hasn't ended yet, because this card gains attack equal to half the attack of the monsters used to make it."

(1500 x 3 = **4500 ATK** )

"And now that it's OTK Material, I'll use it to attack you directly!"

The mighty beast let out a roar, and flew over to attack Vice directly. "I see you still haven't learned anything. I'll activate Blood Shiel-"

"I'm afraid YOU are the one who needs to learn! When Spirit-Eyes Chemical Dragon attacks, my opponent can't activate cards or effects until after the damage step."

"What!?"

This was the first thing Vice had heard this duel that had genuinely shocked him. And as the beast fired the beam out of its mouth, he realized he was doomed…

"It's over Vice. SPIRAL STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!"

In an instant, the great dragon unleashed a beam of red energy, that struck Vice directly.

(Vice's LP: **0** )

* * *

Yuna simply stood there, as he returned back to his normal state.

As soon as he was back to normal, he fell to his knees out of sheer exhaustion, and said to himself "I did it… I won." He smiled a simple smile, as the energy returned to his body, and he was able to think calmly for the first time since the duel started.

As he stood back up, he saw the Shadows attempting to take Vice, who merely stabbed his sword into the ground, and dispelled the Shadow Realm at an instant. And it was clear by the look on Vice's face that he was not amused.

But neither was Brandon, who had been taking down the other soldiers of the Archaic Justice in the meantime of the duel. "It's about time," he said with a hint of a smile, "I was starting to get worried you lost." Vice looked back as Brandon knocked out the last two soldiers, and told him "He almost did."

Brandon turned around, and looked at Vice with a look of annoyance. "Well, obviously he didn't," Brandon said, "And that's all that matters. Now are you going to keep your end of the bargain, or am I going to have to beat you into doing it?" Brandon cracked his knuckles to emphasize his point, but Vice just rolled his eyes and said "Relax, I may be a scumbag, but I am a man of my word."

In an instant, Vice stabbed his blade into the ground once more. This time around, two white orbs of energy came out of them, and went over to the bodies of Aaron and Jabari. Within a few seconds, the two awoke with a start, and saw where they were and what had happened.

Marik and Odion proceeded to run over and make sure they were okay, while Yuna's attention remained undivided on Vice.

"You have my thanks," he said slowly, still a slight bit out of breath, "But answer me this: Why did you go to such extremes to face me in the first place." Vice only shrugged, and said "I was just following orders. Xel said to face you, and that's what I did."

"Well what the hell does Xel want with me?"

Once again, Vice just smiled and rolled his eyes. "You don't seem to realize it, do you," he asked, to which Yuna shook his head. "Heheh… I guess you still don't understand, do you? Well, first off, it's not Xel that wants you. It is the Archaic Justice as a whole, and we want you out of our way.

"Our lord says that you are the biggest and most dangerous foil to our plans, and that if you are in our way, our dream will never be realized. But right now, I'm not really seeing it."

"What do you mean," Yuna questioned, out of sheer curiosity over all else. Vice looked at him, and said "The Spiritual Mission, Yuna. The Spiritual Mission. You are the key to winning victory for the light again, and if we can find a way to take you out of the equation, then our victory is assured. In your current state, you are nowhere near a threat, so we are trying to nip the issue in the bud."

This time, Yuna truly was speechless, unable to come up with anything to say to this.

"Take solace in that you won this duel, Yuna. Your journey is not going to end here, but we will be back soon. If you aren't stronger by the next time you face us, you will not last."

And with that, Vice began to walk off, before Brandon stopped him, saying "Now listen up, Vice. I don't know who you are or what you're up to, but if you try to take one of my friend's souls again, I will take yours in a less painless method!"

Vice only looked back, and said "I heard about how you killed 10 men earlier today without breaking a sweat. I'm not going anywhere near you. But as far as your friends go, you needn't worry. Xel sent me here to face Yuna, and that's all I was meant to do. And Yuna…"

The boy in question looked back at Vice…

"Good luck. You're going to need it."

And with that, Vice walked off, his allies pulling themselves off the ground, and leaving in tow. Now Yuna and Brandon were left to wake their friends up.

* * *

"Are you serious," Kano asked, now that they were inside, "That's insane!"

"It sounds terrifying," Tora added in.

"Yuna did that!?" Weevil questioned excitedly.

"Yuna, are you okay!?" Was what Lana wanted to know.

And Yuna was more than willing to answer all of these with a response. After only about 10 minutes of explanation and duel talk, everyone was up to speed on what had happened, and everyone knew what was going on and why Yuna looked so damaged.

"I can't believe it," Marik said, "I had thought the darkness of the Shadow Games had been sent away with the Pharaoh all those years ago..."

"Yuna," Odion added in, "I'm certain we've told you the stories of when we were young." Yuna nodded to this, and Odion continued, "Then I'm sure you understand that the powers of darkness are nothing to trifle with. If you need to face them, just know that you have our support."

"Thanks, Uncle Odion," Yuna said, his voice sounding drained, "If what Vice said is true, then I am going to need all the help I can get." And everyone in the group knew this was true. Vice had said that the Archaic Justice were basically some of the biggest and most dangerous opponents they could possibly face.

And as such, the group needed to be at their strongest.

"I'm going to head upstairs," Yuna said, taking his deck box, and standing up, "If anyone needs me, I'll be sleeping." And as such, no one said anything and let Yuna head up to sleep. It was now past midnight, and he wanted some rest after the day he's had. He was burned out, due to having to face such powerful opponents and such dangerous powers today. And now he knew that if he was to falter even for a moment, he would be destroyed…

This was bigger than he could have possibly thought.

* * *

 **So now, I am almost done with the introductory arc (and yes, I am still in the Introductory Arc, where we meet the characters, and find out what all is going on), and in a few chapters will the real action begin. Speaking of, I am finally getting back into writing in my free time, and now that I don't have to deal with the stress of real life, I might be able to update more frequently.**

 **That being said, I am still human, and I can only do so much at a time. I can't promise I will get the chapters updated at any specific time, but I can promise I will try to get them up whenever I can.**

 **Anyway, custom cards:**

 **Blood Oath (Spell): Discard 1 'Blood' monster from your hand; Draw 2 cards.**

 **Blood Gardna (DARK, Level 1, Fiend/Effect, ATK: 500/DEF: 0): When you opponent activates a card effect while this card is in your graveyard, you can banish this card: Negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that card (this is a Quick Effect).**

 **Blood Shadow (DARK, Level 1, Fiend/Effect, ATK: 500/DEF: 0): You can special summon this card from your hand, but your opponent Draws 1 card if you do. If your opponent declares an attack while this card is in your graveyard, you can banish this card: Negate the attack, and if you do, destroy the attacking monster.**

 **Blood Fire (DARK, Level 1, Fiend/Effect, ATK: 500/DEF: 0): If you control a face-up 'Blood' monster, you can special summon this card from your hand. When this card is special summoned: Inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent.**

 **Blood Cain (Spell): For every 'Blood' monster that leaves the field until the end phase, you gain 500 LP while your opponent loses 500 LP.**

 **Blood King (DARK, Level 10, Fiend/Effect, ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500): Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned by tributing 3 face-up monsters you control, including at least 1 'Blood' Monster. Once per turn, you can target 1 monster on the field: Equip that target to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the ATK of the monster equipped to it, along with gaining the effects of the monster equipped to it.**

 **Blood Sacrifice (Spell): Special Summon 1 'Blood' monster from your graveyard, but you must pay LP equal to that monster's ATK.**

 **Spirit-Eyes Reaction (Catalyst Spell): Banish exactly 3 'Blue-Eyes' monsters from your graveyard: Special Summon 1 'Spirit-Eyes' reaction monster from your extra deck, ignoring it's summoning conditions.**

 **Spirit-Eyes Chemical Dragon (LIGHT, Level 12, Dragon/Reaction/Effect, ATK: ?/DEF: 0): Cannot be Normal Summoned/set. Must be special summoned by the effect of 'Spirit-Eyes Reaction' and cannot be special summoned by other ways. This card's ATK is equal to half of the attack of the monsters banished by the effect of 'Spirit-Eyes Reaction'. When this card attacks or is attacked, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the damage step. When this card leaves the field, target up to 3 banished monsters: Special Summon those targets.**

* * *

 **And that's all for now. Tune in next time to find out how this duel has affected Yuna.**


	16. Ep 16: 'The Truth'

After the duel with Vice, the effects were obvious on Yuna.

It had been three long days since the event, and in those three days, Yuna hadn't dueled once. Any time any of them asked, he would often just wave them off, not even taking a second to consider dueling. He didn't seem like himself in the slightest, and it worried everyone in the group.

They had all tried some method or another to get him back to himself, but none of them seemed to work. Brandon, Kano, and Janine had all tried to duel him, but that had only ended in him saying he didn't want to duel, and them being forced to leave the room. Weevil and Tora both tried to cheer him up by showing him some epic Duel Replays they got recently, and that barely did much but get a chuckle and a thumbs up from him. Aria had tried to offer him some advice, but he seemed to ignore it regardless of what she said. And Lana?

Well, Lana was taking her try at it now.

It was currently noon, and the rest of the group were forced to join with the classes on a trip to the Pyramids. She faked being sick to get out of it, and came over to Marik and Odion's place to make sure that Yuna was okay.

When she entered the house, Odion told her that he had just been lying on his bed all morning, and didn't respond to anything. This got her extremely worried.

She went upstairs, and saw Yuna. Just like Odion had told her, he was lying on the bed, completely motionless, just staring up at the ceiling. He didn't even seem to notice as she opened the door, or if he did, he didn't seem to care.

' _I have to do something,'_ Lana thought to herself, _'I hate to see him like this…'_ In truth, she hated to see any of her friends like this, but seeing Yuna (who she had always seen as 'confident' and 'unbreakable') was shaken that badly…

' _What can I do to help?'_

There was only one thing she could think of. She had to take a risk.

She grabbed a chair from out of the corner, and sat down right next to Yuna. He barely responded, other than his eyes trailing over to look at her, before returning his attention to the ceiling. She saw her chance, but she wasn't sure how to approach it.

' _Just be calm, Lana… and tell him what you really feel.'_

Taking a deep breath, Lana started to take her shot at bringing Yuna back.

"Hey, Yuna," she started, her voice lacking the normal Yuki confidence, "I hear it's been a rough few days for you." Lana hesitated slightly, not really too sure of what to say. "Look… I know that match with Vice was really close and stuff, but that's no reason to go into a slump like this. You're still a great Duelist."

There was no response, unless you count Yuna's quiet breathing. That was a bad sign to Lana.

"Yuna, I know you can beat them, and we can't even hope to fight them without you. A lot of us look up to you, me especially. We need you around, and it pains a lot of us to see you like this. You're our friend…"

Once again, there was no response from him, but by the look in his eyes, she could guess that Yuna didn't believe her. His eyes could tell her a lot of stuff, and he could probably hear the hesitation in her words. She had to be truthful with him, if she wanted to bring him back…

"And… to be honest with you… you're more than a friend to me."

Yuna's eyes seemed to dart over to her, almost as if he was expecting her to continue what she said. She could sort of see it. It was already helping him to hear this. Now, she knew what she had to do, but it got her scared.

"Yuna," she said, the words just sliding off of her tongue, "I… really like you. You make me happy, and every time you're around, I always feel like I can take on anything. And seeing you like this…" She paused, and Yuna took immediate notice. Tears were starting to form in her eyes, and she felt like she was about to cry.

"It hurts, Yuna. Seeing you like this… it makes me feel an awful pain in my heart. I know it sounds selfish, but I want back that same Yuna I know and love…"

Unable to take anymore, Lana just stood up, not wanting Yuna to see her cry.

"I'm sorry, Yuna," she said, feeling bad for what she did, "I shouldn't force all that on you. I just… hope you get better." Slowly, she headed towards the door, feeling bad, and thinking that she was weak.

"Lana…"

And just as she got to the door, she was stopped in her track by that quiet utterance of her name. Looking back, she saw Yuna, still laying on his bed, and still staring up at the ceiling. The only difference was that his eyes were closed, making him look like he was asleep, or deep in thought.

"I'm glad you told me," he said, his voice quiet, but sounding a bit happier in tone, "I really needed something to make me smile."

"Yuna…"

"I'm sorry Lana. I've been selfish lately. It's just that… that Duel got me on edge. It threw me off my game in the worst possible way…"

"What do you mean?"

There was a brief silence between them, as Yuna himself looked back up to the ceiling, his breathing slowing slightly. "I've had the same nightmare for the past three nights in a row…

"I faced Vice a second time, and this time, my Deck didn't come through for me. It was a One-Turn Kill. And after you guys found out about it, you…" He paused, as he started to sob. "You all died. You went and challenged him yourselves, and you all lost to him… You all died, trying to avenge me."

Now, it was starting to make sense to Lana.

"I don't want to lose you guys because I wasn't strong enough to save you. I went into that duel thinking I could beat anyone… but I left realizing the truth. I'm weak…"

"Don't say that Yuna," She exclaimed, obviously upset at that, "Don't EVER say that! You're not weak, and you never will be!" This caught his attention, and he looked over to her. "Yuna, you're a great duelist. You can do more with a single card than most people can do with ten. I don't know much about that Vice guy, but I know that you're a thousand times better a duelist than he'll ever be."

"Thank you Lana," he said, a sad smile on his face, as he closed his eyes in thought, "I'm sorry to worry you."

"No Yuna," she said, finally content, "I was more than happy to help you."

"I need some time to think on this, but I promise I'll give my all to return to my best."

Lana came over, and smiled, as she pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, Yuna. You're the best."

After a few moments, Yuna let his grip loosen, signifying the end of the hug. She got back up, and told him "I guess I better get going. If the others find out I skipped, they're gonna wanna know why." And as she headed through his door, she winked at him, and said "See you later."

And only a second later, Yuna was alone in the room again.

His uncles wouldn't be back for another hour or so, meaning he had about that long to think. He was now alone with his thoughts again, and he remembered scenes from the nightmare.

He remembered the Duel itself as well, and felt an extreme amount of pain from it. He remembered Vice's monsters, and the worry that came from thinking he was going to die there. He didn't want to feel these feelings, but he was pretty much forced to…

Until of course, he remembered something he thought he had heard during the duel.

* * *

 _'This isn't good,' he remembered hearing an energetic voice say, 'Lemme get in there!'_

' _No,' a strong and commanding voice said, 'We cannot help him. If we do, then the Archaic Justice gets what they want!'_

' _Come on, Yug! Just let me help him! At the very least, a Number Monster would do him some good.'_

 _There was a brief silence, as the spirit thought on it._

' _He's right, Yug,' another energetic voice said, this one sounding a bit more mature, 'He's getting creamed out there. He needs something!'_

' _I know, Jaden, but how can we help him?'_

' _There has to be something,' a fourth voice said, this one sounding rather mature, but also rather tense, 'We can't just sit back and watch him be defeated.'_

' _That's true… Okay, fine. Yuma, help him!'_

 _But before any of the voices could say anything else, Yuna's blood started to boil, and he was filled with an insane boost of power._

* * *

Yuna remembered this as if it had happened only a moment before…

To most people, this would imply insanity, but Yuna himself knew better. He's had enough of trying to pretend like he didn't know what was going on. He had to admit the truth to himself…

"Yugi… Jaden… Yusei… and Yuma. Show yourselves! We need to talk."

At first, he got no response, but within a few minutes, it appeared. At first, he thought he was just tired, but eventually, his eyes felt heavy, and he realized what was happening: He was losing consciousness, and fast.

In only a few seconds, his consciousness faded, as he fell into a deep sleep, and felt all of his senses go numb.

* * *

When Yuna next opened his eyes, he was in the void (as he had come to call it), darkness as far as the eye can see. All that was around him was an empty space, with the exception of a faint light in the distance.

A faint light…

Almost on instinct, Yuna began to sprint towards it, thankful that he could finally move again. He had control over what he did, and that only helped him to move even quicker. As the light got closer, his pace began to speed up, as he thought he might finally get some answers.

As he finally approached, he could see the four lights in front of him, and for a second, he felt the situation to be familiar. Within moments, he could hear slight voices, whispering things incoherently, and the lights had started to take up a more humanoid shape.

" _Welcome Yuna,"_ He heard, the voice sounding distant, and yet right next to him at the same time, _"We've been waiting for you."_

Seconds passed, as the shapes took on completely human shapes, each looking different, but being reminiscent of a teenager or young adult. He was about to question it, but before he could, he could see the lights starting to fade.

And what he saw both shocked him, and confirmed his suspicions.

In front of him were the four Kings of Dueling.

On the furthest left was Yugi Muto, who was taking up the appearance of his young adult self, looking like he did right when he got out of high school, and a confident smile on his face. Meanwhile, right next to him stood Jaden Yuki, who looked just like he did when he got out of Duel Academy, with his trademark 'Yuki grin' on his face. Next to those two was Yusei Fudo, who looked like he did in his hayday, with a simple smile on his face. And on the furthest right was Yuma Tsukumo, who looked like he did at 13, when he had first come in contact with the Numbers, with Astral right by his side.

"Hot damn…" Yuna said, amazed at this sight in front of him, "And here I was thinking I was losing my mind."

"It's nice to finally be able to talk to you in person," Yugi said, his voice sounding lighter, but still confident, "We've been watching over you for quite some time, Yuna."

"And I suppose I owe you guys some thanks," Yuna said, smiling at that, "You've been there during some of my tougher duels, haven't you?"

"Yep," Yuma told him, "It was because of me you beat Wake. And the others have been there when you needed them too." Yuma was about to continue, but then Yusei stopped him, and asked the important question:

"How long have you known that we've been here?"

Yuna sighed, and told him "I've had some inkling for a while, but I honestly didn't want to believe it. It seemed just a bit too insane to be possible."

"Well, insane is the way we work," Jaden said, "And now, you're one of us. And we're here to answer any question you want to know."

"Then answer me this," Yuna said, almost immediately, "Why are you in my head?"

The four spirits looked at each other for a moment, but remained silent for quite a while. Yuna just stood there, but as none of them decided to answer, he just sighed, and sat down. "It's fine if you don't have an answer," he said, trying to hide that he was upset, "Just say so if you don't."

"No, that's not the issue," Jaden defended, "It's just…"

"Yuna," Yugi finally decided to speak up, "Just tell me. How much of your heritage do you know?"

This question shocked Yuna, as he was not ready for that one. "Why do you ask?"

"I need to know this before we can begin to talk on this subject. Now tell me. How much do you know about your heritage?"

Yuna thought on this for a moment, trying to remember back to everything that his family had told him in the past few years. "Well, I know that my Great Grandpa Gozaboro was a bad man. He made weapons for people, until Grandpa Seto took over, and turned Kaibacorp into a gaming company."

Yugi nodded. "Okay, I see you know the Kaiba side. Now, what do you know about the Ishtar side?"

For a moment, Yuna was silent. He did remember the stories his uncles and his grandma told him, but he did not really believe them. They seemed a little too out there to be real. But as of recently, he was starting to believe them, and that was worrying to him. But then again, if he could believe Lana's talk about 'Duel Monster Spirits', then maybe he could believe what they told him.

"W-well," he hesitated, "I know that my great uncle Marik was supposed to… protect the memories of some Pharaoh, or something like that. But then, he and Odion were working with the Egyptian God Cards. Grandpa Seto got one, I know. Obelisk the Tormentor, if I remember correctly…"

Yugi nodded, as if signaling Yuna to continue.

"Grandpa Seto hosted a tournament to get the three God Cards, but by the end of it, you won out, Yugi."

"Alright, you know that much. But tell me, do you know what they were truly trying to protect?"

"The Pharaoh's Memori-"

"No, not just that, Yuna. There was more to it than that."

Dead silence invaded his mind, as no one was ready to say a single word. It felt like forever, but eventually, Yugi looked at the boy, and told him "The thing that they were truly trying to protect was the Return of the Shadow Games."

"The Shadow Games," Yuna repeated, noting how the words seemed… familiar to him. "I remember Grandpa mentioning them once before… "

"A good starting point, then," Yugi continued, "They were the reason behind everything that has happened so far. It is a constant struggle between darkness and light. It doesn't matter what form it takes -The Shadow Riders, The Dark Signers, or the old Barian Emperors- they are all because of the fight between the two forces."

"And we've all had to face them with our own strength," Jaden said, "And it's always been one hell of a fight. It just seems that there will always be those who want the Darkness to win out."

"We've all done our parts in the past," Yusei added in, "But each time, a new evil just had to rear its ugly head. And every time, new Duelists must show themselves, and fight so that the evils do not win out."

"But Yuna…" Yuma paused, before staring the young boy dead in his eyes, "You are different. The Darkness is coming back more powerful than you could possibly believe, and the Archaic Justice are doing everything they can to use this power to their advantage. But you… you have the potential to stop this."

At that same moment, something just seemed to… click for Yuna.

"The Spiritual Mission… that is what this is, isn't it?"

Silence reigned supreme, none of them having anything more to say, letting Yuna just absorb the information they gave him. But judging by the look on his face, he just could not believe it.

"No… no, no, it can't be me. You must have the wrong guy! I'm nothing special!"

"Oh but you are, Yuna," he heard Yugi say, "You're the one we need for this task."

But, that couldn't be. He just couldn't believe it. Never had he faced impossible odds and won out…

He was no prodigy at this game…

He had no special cards…

He was just… average.

"Now that's where you're wrong."

Yuna looked up and over to see that Jaden Yuki was looking at him, almost with the look of a teacher to a student. Had he heard Yuna's doubt?

"Yes I have. Your soul doesn't hide it very well. And you got so much more than you're holding yourself to have," he said, his voice casual, but a bit stern, "Number One: you're a KAIBA. I think that alone speaks volumes. Seto Kaiba is no slacker when it comes to making sure his family knows what they're doing."

Wait a minute. That is true.

He is indeed a Kaiba, his grandpa being one of the greatest Duelists of all time, a master of Chess, a ruthlessly cunning strategist, and having took over KaibaCorp in his TEENAGE YEARS! And that wasn't even the only example. While Yuna can't really say he respects his father (after the incident from a few months back, as well as a few other dumbass things he's done), he had to give the man credit, he was a smart man.

"And that's not all."

Yuna's attention was brought back to Jaden, as he continued what he was saying. "And for another thing, whoever said you needed to be a prodigy at this game. I mean, Yuma was pitiful when he started out."

"Hey!"

"And if you want to go off of official records, 32 wins out of 35 Duels is an impressive track record, especially for someone so young."

That was true. Though admittedly, he had always thought he just won every duel out of dumb luck, but then he remembered something Lana had said.

" _You can do more with a single card than most people can do with ten!"_

Jaden chuckled. "She wasn't just trying to flatter you, ya know. You really can turn the tide of any battle, and I think your last battle proved that point plenty."

Wait a second…

Jaden was right!

He had gotten his 'Spirit-Eyes Reaction' card, and even though he had been on the losing end for most of the duel, with that one card, he had changed it.

With one card, he had defeated Vice.

And with a single draw, he had saved himself from certain death.

"And as for special cards, don't even try to pretend like your Blue-Eyes White Dragon isn't special. After all, if you remember your last duel, you were changed."

Changed? Does he mean?

"Oh yes, he means exactly that," Yusei smiled, "You were wondering which of us caused you to go all draconic last Duel, but you know the truth. It had nothing to do with us. It was your power, and your power alone."

So, his suspicions were now confirmed.

He now knew the truth of the voices in his mind, and that they had been helping him along, the whole way. To be perfectly honest, in this moment, he felt special. To think that he was part of this 'Spiritual Mission', and that he was what they needed.

But that only continued to bring back his previous worries.

"But, how am I supposed to win," Yuna asked, his voice finally calmed, "With the way my deck is right now, I don't think I can handle this. I mean… I still believe in the Heart of the Cards and all that jazz, but maybe that just isn't enough anymore."

Hearing this, Jaden and the others looked at each other, before he just looked back and smiled. "Eh, you'll find a way," he hesitated just a little, "I mean, sure, you're going up against a ruthless organization hell bent on plunging the world in darkness. And sure, you're trying to mix together five different deck types that have no connection to each other… but hey, you got this."

Something suddenly clicked, as Yuna just stood their staring at the 'HERO' Duelist.

"What did you say Jaden?"

"You got this?"

"No before that."

"A ruthless oraganizatio-"

"TOO far back!"

"You're trying to mix together five completely different decks?"

…

Without warning, Yuna came over to Jaden and shook him in excitement. "Jaden," he exclaimed, "You incredibly STUPID Genius!"

"Uh, thanks, I guess," he hesitated, before realizing what was said, "Wait, why am I a genius?"

"Because you just gave me the part of this that I was missing!"

* * *

Yuna awoke with a start, rolling off of his bed and smiling like a mad man, and pacing back and forth, incredibly happy.

"That is exactly what I needed, he has given me exactly the piece I need!"

Suddenly, a pot of coffee appeared next to him, being held by someone. Yuna took the coffee pot and continued his little conversation with himself.

"The reason my deck has been so bad as of recently is that I have been forcing too much out of it," he said, taking a giant swig, "I've been trying to mix together five completely unrelated decks, and my deck has been forced to get bigger in an attempt to compensate for this, but it has taken a massive beating in consistency!"

He continued to pace, taking another enormous swig, and getting faster in both his moving and thinking pace.

"So, to remedy this, if I were to make INDIVIDUAL decks designed specifically to match the playstyle of each Duelist, either in my head, or in my group…"

Another enormous swig.

"IcanmaximizethepossibilityforsucccessforeachandeveryduelandminimizethepossibilityforfailuretherebymakingsurethatwecantakedownthoseArchaicAssholesandWIN!"

And finally, he takes his last swig. "And holy Ra, this coffee's good!" He exclaimed, before realizing, "WHERE did this come from?"

"'Sup."

Looking back, he saw Brandon Monarco there, sipping a cup of coffee, with a smug grin on his face.

"How long have you been there," Yuna asked. Brandon stood up, and said "Since your little girlfriend left." Seeing the flustered look on Yuna's face, he gave a light chuckle, and told him "And by the way, you don't have to make a deck for me. I'm way ahead of you on that one."

"Well alright then," Yuna told him, "I can see this is gonna be a lot of work, but it has to be done. This is no longer just a game."

"Agreed. It's war now."

A small smirk appeared on Yuna's face, as he felt his left eye seeming to burn with power.

"Then let's get ready for war."

* * *

 **So, this was a chapter I am very happy with, mainly because it allowed me to show off what I had been waiting for so long to show off.**

 **So now, Yuna knows about the voices in his head, and he seems to have plenty of ideas in his mind right now. And who knows, maybe it could help him to fight his way through.**

 **But anyways, that's enough for me for right now. Tune in next time as Yuna prepares for war.**


	17. Ep 17: 'Intervention'

The group walked down the desert trail, sand in their eyes and annoyance in their minds. Among them was Janine and Kano, the former mad at the latter.

"I can't believe ya tried it again," Janine exclaimed, "Why is it that every time we're out in public, you seem to try to kill someone!?" Kano just looked to the ground embarrassed, and said "H-he was trying to mess with Aria, what do you want from me!?"

Behind them, Aria blushed at that.

"Well, it still seems like a bit much," Tora added in, "I've never known someone to react so adversely to a guy trying to hit on a girl." Kano just looked away, embarrassed, and everyone just looked back to annoyance. It looked like a mediator would be needed.

"Look guys," Weevil interjected, "Let's just forget all of this. We got outta there alright, so it's not that bad. Let's just relax."

Janine just looked at him in annoyance, but he just shot her a glare back. "I'm not asking for much," he told her casually, "Let's just ignore it, and go back to see if Yuna is any better." Janine just looks to the side, as if thinking for a minute, and says "Alright, let's just head back before something happens to us."

As if on cue, the group looks forward to see what looks to be a cloud of sand approaching them at rapid speed, which pelted them with sand as it passed.

"Damn," Kano thought aloud, "I didn't know that it was set to sandstorm today." To which Weevil replied with "Pretty sure that wasn't a sandstorm. If it was, we'd still be in it."

But this just got everyone wondering. They knew this was true, so that couldn't have been a sandstorm. But even so, it was rather powerful for just some cloud of dust…

"Whatever," Janine said, "Dust yourselves off, and let's get a move on." Everyone complied without saying anything (they could tell that she was not in the mood after that one), and pressed forward. And not ten seconds after that. They heard something.

It sounded like someone said 'Draw' in the distance.

And not another twenty seconds passed before another cloud of dust came, this one a little stronger, almost making them lose their footing. "Jeez," Kano claimed, "Whatever it is, we must be getting close."

"Then what are we waiting for!? Let's keep goin'!"

No one questioned Janine on that one, and kept walking. Everyone could see she was not going to let some sand get in her way. She just kept going, and they followed, just waiting to see what this was.

And as it turns out, the closer they got, the more intense the clouds of dust got, along with the sound becoming clearer. Someone was definitely screaming 'Draw' at least a few seconds before each one.

Within a few minutes, they had made their way to Marik's household, having braved each and every storm. They were all covered in sand, and mad beyond words at this point. The moment they approached the house, Janine declared loudly and angrily "If I get hit with ONE more goddamn g-"

"DRAW!"

Before anyone even had time to react, they were greeted with a massive gust of wind, creating a cloud of dust comparable to even the worst of sandstorms. No one could keep their footing for that moment, and they were all sent flying, landing in the sand, and half of them being half-buried by it.

And when it finally cleared, who did they see standing there, with cards in his hand and Duel Disk on his arm?

None other than Yuna Kaiba, still wearing his hoodie, even in the intense heat of the desert, and with a look in his eyes that screamed focus.

Janine got up with a similar look in her eyes, but hers was an intense rage. She came over to the boy, and grabbed him by his hoodie. "What the hell are you doing!?" she demanded, "We've been tryin' to get here for twenty minutes, but those damn gusts are makin' it impossible!" Then suddenly, she looked up and realized something. "Wait, how in the hell are you even doing that!?"

"Power Draw."

"Wait, what?"

Without a word, Yuna just pulled her hands off of him, and stood back where he was. "You see, the way it works is that I practice my ability to draw the cards I need, while Brandon stands over there and determines if he could feel the energy coming through."

But when Janine looked over, instead of seeing Brandon, she saw a scarecrow with Brandon's jacket on. Yuna looked baffled at this, and immediately wanted to know where he had went.

"Took you long enough," he heard from the side, "I switched with that scarecrow about 15 minutes ago. I was wondering if you were ever gonna figure it out." Looking over, he saw Brandon exiting out the back door, with a drink of ice water in his hand. Yuna just stood, mouth agape, and unable to believe this.

"And WHAT had happened to helping me train," he asked with a deadpan expression. Brandon just shrugged and told him "I was gonna come back. I just had some unfinished business to attend to. Now what hand did you get?"

Reminded of what he was doing, Yuna looked at it, and smiled. Without a word, he showed off his hand, and everyone was shocked. The cards that were shown seemed insane, to where even the best top decks could not compare.

All three 'Blue-Eyes White Dragons'…

'Polymerization'…

'Card of Demise'…

And 'Mirror Force'…

Every card needed to set up for a ruthless assault. He had the ability with that to set up something that most opponents would fear.

"Well, looks like the cards are responding, alright!" Yuna exclaimed in excitement. "Now all I need is my new deck, and I'll be ready for anything."

"New deck?" Kano questioned.

Yuna nodded excitedly. "Recently, I decided that I need to fight on. And one of the only ways I could do it was with a new deck. That duel with Vice woke me up, and made me realize I need to be stronger. So, I decided the best response would be to make a Deck that the world has never seen before."

"And how do you plan on doing that one," Weevil asked "I'm pretty sure every idea for a deck that CAN be done, has been done."

"I don't think so," he told him, an odd amount of excitement in his voice, "Because I have EXACTLY the means to make sure that my new deck is something no one is prepared for."

For a moment, everyone was a bit off guard, as they finally thought on something that they hadn't had a moment to think about. Yuna had so much energy right now, when only about a few hours before, he had been practically catatonic. What had changed?

"If you're wondering why he's so insane right now," Brandon stepped in, "I gave him a whole mug of coffee about two hours ago. And if you're wondering, he made another behind my back. And no-" he looked back for a moment and saw Yuna with another mug. "Don't you dare!"

"Aw, but I need to keep going!"

"No, you NEED to go call your Grandpa. You need to make sure that you can get them made."

"WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!?"

Everyone stared over to Janine, who was very annoyed at the whole situation. Yuna sighed, and said "Come inside guys. We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

Once inside, they all sat down on the couch, as Yuna took the recliner, sitting, and just staring at them. He looked to be deep in thought, as if trying to figure out the best way to go about something. No one really knew what to day, because they had never seen him with this much focus.

"Alright, there's no nice way to say this, so I'm just gonna say it," Yuna told them, "Our decks suck."

All of them just looked at Yuna in shock, unable to believe he had just said a thing like that. "Look, I know that is a bold statement to mak-"

"Uh, yeah it is!" Janine interjected, standing up. "What, are you saying all of our wins have been flukes?"

"Janine, sit!"

She just looked at Yuna with annoyance, but immediately backed down the moment she saw what her grandpa liked to call 'the Kaiba Glare'. She did not know Yuna was capable of such a cold look, but she knew she did not want to be on the receiving end of it again. So, she just sat back down, and said nothing.

"Thank you," Yuna said, grabbing a cup of water, and looking to each and every one of them, "Vice was a wake-up call, my friends. My deck wasn't the best, and neither were any of ours as of late.

And that cannot be allowed. These Archaic Justice guys are going to be back, I guarantee it. And if my instinct is anything to go by, they are going to be even worse than before. This is a war now, and we can't afford any weakness among us. Failure is not an option."

"What do you mean weaknesses," Kano questioned, "Are our decks really that bad?"

"Kind of. It's very hard to say. But there are some things that I can definitely tell you that fail as strategies. If you'll listen, that is…"

Everyone nodded in an instant, feeling this was something they needed to hear. Never before had anyone seen Yuna with this serious look in his eyes. They needed to know.

"Alright, I'll tell you," Yuna said simply. He closed his eyes and sighed, as if trying to find the best way to go about this, before telling them, "In case I haven't stated the reason for my deck being bad, it's because I have made it way too big. I have an almost 60 card deck, and it's a jumbled up mismatch of different sets. I need to change that. But I'm clearly not the only one…"

He paused for a moment, before pointing to Kano.

"You've got a good idea of what you want to do, but your Candy Cards are too specific to ever work legitimately. Your Dark Magicians are a welcome addition, and your Gambling Cards always seem to work out in your favor, but that just isn't enough to make a functioning Deck."

Kano looked down, a little upset at that, but Yuna only continued. He next pointed his finger to Janine.

"You seem to be doing ok, but you don't seem to have a clear goal in mind for what kind of deck you want to play. Not only that, but you don't have many ways of getting out your Red-Eyes, and that only hinders you."

Janine was visibly upset at hearing this, but she just sighed, and took it, as he next pointed over to Lana.

"Your oldschool E-Heroes are nice and all, but they require too specific of setup to be perfect. Not only that, but Hyperion seriously needs an effect or something. It's not bad for what it is, but it needs a lot of work for this."

Lana only nodded, as Yuna let out a heavy breath. "Okay," he told them, "That's the major ones out of the way. Now on to the ones I can easily break down in a sentence." He pointed directly to Aria.

"You seem to have your act together, but you're more of an offensive Duelist, and you need a deck that shows that."

Next onto Weevil.

"Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth is not a viable strategy!"

Weevil tried to refute, but Yuna stopped him by saying "Save it for your new deck if you want it so damn badly."

Then came Tora.

"You're trying to mix together Cats and Warriors, and the last thing that did that was a travesty!"

"You mean the Thundercats Reboot?"

Everyone looked to Brandon in confusion, but Yuna simply stood up, and pointed his finger directly at him. "And as for you…"

Everyone was expecting an immediate response, but none came. Yuna just stood there, his face giving away that he was thinking on it, and Brandon's smirk giving away that Yuna wasn't coming up with anything. Silence reigned supreme.

That is, until Yuna put down his hand, and simply said "You're not using your real Deck, are you?"

"Took you long enough," Brandon said with a smile, "What gave it away?"

"I figure someone called the 'Demon King' would run a Deck focused on DEMONS. And last I checked, Samurai, Fairies, and Dragons do not fall into that category."

"And yet I still haven't lost," was his retort, before looking around to see that everyone else was not very happy. Looks like he would need to step in.

"Look, I'm sure your all not feeling too good after that trainwreck Yuna calls a pep-talk."

"Hey!"

"But there's a silver lining to all of this," he continued. "You see, the reason Yuna brings this all up is so you all know what you need to improve on when we make our new decks."

"New Decks," Kano questioned. Brandon nodded, and was about to speak, but Yuna stepped in and said "I'm going to talk to my Grandpa, and put in an order for Custom Cards. We're going to make Decks that suit us to a T, and we're going to use those decks to put these Archaic Idiots out of business."

"I thought it was 'Archaic Assholes'."

"Same difference. Now, does that get everyone pumped up?"

Looking around, Yuna saw that everyone's spirits seemed to be lifted just a little, and that they all seemed to be excited about the prospect. That was his sign.

"We get to make our own cards," Janine said in excitement, "You can count me in."

"Does that go the same for all of you?"

Everyone nodded, and Yuna smiled.

"Well alright then. Let's make that call."

Yuna fired up his phone, and immediately pulled up videochat. He didn't want to waste a moment on this one, and evidently his friends didn't either, as they immediately crowded around him. Within seconds, he had received a response. But it wasn't Grandpa Seto.

Instead, it was another elderly man, looking to be in his mid-70s, with a large bushy mustache, and long grey hair.

"Uncle Mokuba," Yuna questioned, confused as to why he was answering. "Where's Grandpa? I need to talk to him." All Uncle Mokuba did was shake his head and say "Then I'm afraid you have called at a bad time. He's currently at a meeting, and he won't be back for at least an ho-"

*CRASH*

Everyone seemed to jump at that sound, as they heard heavy footsteps approaching the screen. And within a couple seconds, the man they had all come there to see had appeared on the video screen. Mokuba appeared to be baffled. "Mokuba, I hear that Yuna called," he said, "What does he need?"

"Wait, Seto? Didn't you have a meeting to get to?"

"My Grandpa Senses were tingling, so I postponed it until I return. Now, what is it that he needed?"

"Well, why don't you ask him yourself?"

That was all they had to say, before Seto dismissed his brother out of the room, and stood straight in front of the video phone.

Dear old Grandpa Kaiba had answered, and rather quickly.

"Hello Yuna, Kano…" Seto greeted, but then noticed the rest of them. "… Everyone else. What is it you need?"

"Hey Grandpa," Yuna said back, not really hiding that he was in a rush. "So, you remember how for my 14th Birthday, you gave me a blank check for whatever I wanted?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I'm calling it in. I need…" he stopped for a moment, and counted, before getting back to work. "12 Custom Decks to be made."

Kaiba was visibly confused. "12 Custom Decks? That's quite the hefty order, kiddo. What do you need them for?"

"It's kind of hard to explain, but basicall-"

"He's getting in way over his head, and there is a little group that wants his head on a silver platter."

Seto looked over to see Brandon, who was the only one not crowding his grandson. "Ah, I see what this is," he concluded, "This is an enemy so powerful, you need cards that only YOU have access to, is that it?"

Yuna nodded. "I know it's probably a lot to ask, but I really do need a lot of new cards for all of us. Failure is not an option here."

Silence reigned supreme for a bit, as Seto closed his eyes, and looked to be thinking. A small smile appeared on his face, as he told the boy "I had a feeling this day would come sooner or later. Perhaps its time I dust off my old file full of "Blue-Eyes" Support ideas, and we can come up with a deck for you. And as for the rest of them, if they can come up with the card ideas, then we shall make the cards."

That put the biggest smile possible on Yuna's face, as he said "Thanks Grandpa! I really appreciate it!"

"Then show how much you appreciate it, and have your deck ideas in as soon as you can," he told him, before looking to the rest of them. "And that goes double for all of you. If Yuna is using his gift to make you guys new Dueling Decks, you had best show that you're not going to take it for granted."

Everyone nodded, and left the room immediately.

"Thanks Grandpa, you won't regret it," Yuna said happily, and was about to turn off the video camera, before Kaiba declared "Hold on, Yuna!"

He paused for a moment, and saw as Seto's expression hardened to a serious, almost parental one. "I noticed that you called for 12 Decks, when I only saw 8 of you in frame. Care to explain that one?" But Yuna really didn't want to have to explain. He was sure that Grandpa would find him insane if he did.

"Well," Yuna stuttered, trying to find a good answer to that question. "Um…"

"Just let me take a guess," Seto declared in the middle of Yuna's thought process, "You need these additional decks for Yugi, Jaden, Yusei, and Yuma, don't you?"

That left Yuna absolutely speechless.

He was so unsure what to say about that, to know that his Grandfather knew about them being there. A million questions were running through his mind. Had he known about this before? And if so, for how long? Was he in on this 'Spiritual Mission' thing?

He simply had to know.

"If you're wondering why I know," Kaiba told him, seeing the shock on his expression, "I was told by Marik what that Vice fellow said, and from there, your Grandma Ishizu was nice enough to fill me in on what she knew." He chuckled, "And with the fact that you preach about the 'Heart of the Cards', it was easy to tell who one of the spirits would be."

Yuna just nodded at that one. In hindsight, he probably could have kept it secret a little better, but at the very least, it is not as if he has to hide it anymore. _"Or at least to a couple of people,'_ he mentally added, keeping in mind that only Brandon and Grandpa Seto really knew.

"Now, I know it's probably not my business, but could I personally ask a favor of you," Seto asked, to which Yuna nodded. "Thanks kiddo. If you could, would you mind putting Yugi on for a minute or two?"

In all honesty, Yuna wasn't really sure if he could do that, but he figured it was at least worth giving it a shot. He closed his eyes, and almost instantly, he heard the voice of the King of Games, telling him _"Don't worry. This time, I don't have to force control."_

And within seconds, his consciousness felt like it had lost control of his body.

That was so easy, that it actually surprised him. No splitting headache, no drowsiness, and no burning sensation in his left eye. He just sort of… fell back.

And this time, he could see everything in clear, perfect view. The only difference was he was not in control anymore.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Yuna's body lifted the bangs covering its left eye, and revealed a piercing Amethyst iris. And seeing that, Kaiba knew. "It's been a long time," Seto stated, his voice having an underlying tone of satisfaction, "Good to see you, Yugi."

"It's good to see you too, Kaiba," Yugi-Yuna declared, voice full of energy, "Now, what is it that you needed me for? If its for a Duel, I'm afraid that I'm not set up well for that."

Seto gave a slight chuckle at that one, and said "I have no need for that right now. I just wanted to make sure that I tell you this." His expression sharpened a little once again, and he said "Take care of my Grandson. I want to make sure he's safe by the end of this, so I want you to put your all into protecting him."

Yugi-Yuna nodded without hesitation, and told him "If you expect anything less of me, than I have to wonder what you think runs through my mind. I plan on protecting Yuna with everything I have, and anything less would be insult."

"I'm glad to hear that."

There was a silence between the old rivals for a bit, as Yugi-Yuna just smiled. "You've got nothing to worry about," he declared, "We shall make sure that Yuna doesn't lose this."

"That's reassuring," Seto affirmed, "That means he has a guardian in the best mind that has ever graced this game. Excluding yours truly, of course."

"Still the same Kaiba, I'm glad to see."

"I'll never change, I promise you that. Now I'd better get back. I have to alert my subordinates to the plan."

Yugi-Yuna nodded, and turned off the phone, then closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When his eyes opened again, his left eye returned back to its normal white color, and Yuna was back in control.

A smile spread on his lips as he realized that things were going fantastic right now. He knew about the spirits in his head, and he had discovered exactly what he needed to do. He thought that nothing could ruin this. And he planned on telling all of his friends the good news.

As he headed down the stairs, he could see everyone smiling and talking and planning out their decks, which put a feeling of satisfaction in his mind. "Glad to see everyone is already planning it out," he declared, "I like that. Its good to see that you're taking this at least semi-seriously."

Brandon laughed at that, and said "What, you think we're gonna pass up on an opportunity like this, after what those morons did? Those Archaic Assholes won't know what hit them." Yuna personally liked hearing that one, and it made him feel good to know that everyone was not taking this for granted.

"Like you said, Yuna, this is war," he continued, heading toward the front door right as a knock was heard, "And we're gonna make sure that this is a war we win." And that seemed to just continue to elevate his mood. He was amazed to say that he legitimately felt very happy in this moment.

But as soon as the door opened…

*Click*

That happiness seemed to vanish…

*Click*

And was replaced with a feeling of shock and terror…

*BOOM!*

* * *

 **Oh god I am an asshole! XD**

 **Look, about this cliffhanger, I figure I should tell you guys that I'm trying to make the Archaic Justice a little more dangerous than the average evil Duelist group, and I am taking a little of inspiration from the manga, and allowing myself to make things even grittier. So, the followup chapter will be coming out soon so that I haven't left you guys in too much suspense.**

 **Until next time!**


	18. Ep 18: 'Sign of War' Part 1

Words failed Yuna, as he saw what had happened.

His mind did not want to process this new info, even as red started to cover the walls. As Brandon fell back onto the floor, everyone could see just what happened, and it confirmed what they were afraid of.

The man at the door had just _shot_ Brandon, right in front of them.

They all were about to rush over, but the man told them "One more step, and the next one goes into his head." This stopped every single one of them dead in their tracks, as all they could do was sit and watch.

"That's much better," he said, smiling evilly at the group. Yuna finally had a clear view of the man, and all he could do was take it in. His face was concealed, and he was dressed in a similar robe to Grey and Raven, which gave Yuna a hunch as to who sent him. And in his hand was a small 10mm gun, and it didn't take a genius to tell he intended to use it more.

"I'm surprised," he said maliciously, "I wasn't expecting to get the so-called 'Demon King' today. My only intended target was you, Yuna."

Were it not for the lump in his throat, Yuna would have called the man out for being scum. But for now, all that he could manage to say was, "Did Xel send you?" To this, the man chuckled, almost as if reveling in a secret joke. "Xel," he questioned, "What makes you think I'd listen to that idealistic fool? I'm here for a master who actually knows what he is doing."

Not that he had many words he wanted to say to begin with, but Yuna simply could not bring himself to speak. To know that they were _this_ determined to get rid of him, just kind of made him unable to act. He felt a twinge of fear at that…

"You son of a bitch!"

Looking over, he saw that (surprisingly enough) Kano was not scared at all, and if he was, he was doing a damn good job at hiding it. Same went for Weevil, who was standing right by him. He was angry, and seemed to be looking around for something.

"Oh, what's this," the man questioned, almost sounding amused, "The coward stands tall? That's very unusual."

It was at this very moment that Yuna noticed a shift in his friend. His eyes almost seemed to change hue, going from amethyst to bloody red. "You bastard. I'll kill you!"

"Say what you will, but do not forget I am the one holding the gun."

It was at this same moment that a vase came flying at the man. He narrowly avoided it, and it shattered against the wall. Looking over to Weevil, the man pointed his gun towards him. "No need for violence," he told them, his voice now lacking in emotion, "If Yuna simply comes with me, this doesn't have to end with the death of 8. Only 2."

"What!?" Janine almost screamed. "You think we're just going to give him up!?"

"If you value your lives, then I suggest you do."

"I'd sooner die!"

The man pointed his gun at Janine. "That can be arranged!"

"Bring it! I dare yo-"

"STOP!"

Everyone fell silent at that. Looking over to Yuna, they saw the stress on his face, and heard it in his shaky breath. He was in genuine terror because of this man. When he opened his mouth again, only a few words came out:

"If I go with you… can you promise me you won't hurt them?"

The man lowered his gun for a moment, and nodded. "If they offer no resistance, I will not harm them." And while Yuna didn't necessarily believe the words of man like him, he was still willing to take this risk.

His feet began to move him forward, until eventually, he was right in front of the man. "Very well," Yuna said in resignation, "I'll do whatever you want. Just… don't hurt them."

" _Are you insane!?"_

In the back of his mind, Yuna heard the voice of Yuma, clearly baffled at what was going on. The man pointed outside, and Yuna began walking. _"Kid, don't do this,"_ Yuma declared, _"This man can't be trusted! Are you really gonna give up that easily."_

' _I can't put my friends in danger like that,'_ Yuna answered without hesitation, _'I just needed him away from everyone.'_

" _What are you planning…?"_

While this was going on, the man came close to Yuna's ear. "So this is how it ends for you," he said cockily, "And too bad. Because I must tell you the truth. I may have said that I would not harm your friends… but that does not mean the others will agree to those terms."

Yuna froze in place. "What…?"

"I only made that promise to get you out here. And now that you are out here…" he pointed the gun at the back of his head, "There is nothing you can do."

It was at that moment, Yuna's expression changed. _'There it is. Exactly as I figured.'_

"Then may you grant a man his dying wish?"

There was a brief silence between the two, before the man finally said "What is it you want?"

' _He took the bait. Perfect.'_

Yuna turned around and slowly said "There is one thing I want…"

And then, before the man could react, he grabbed him by the wrist with one hand, forced the gun out of his hand with the other, and proceeded to kick the man hard in the stomach. While he was doubled over in pain, Yuna hit him in the back of the head with the pistol.

"I want the likes of you gone off this earth!"

Shakily, the man got back up, and snapped his fingers, and many similarly hooded men came from behind the house. Seeing this, Yuna could only chuckle. "I know I said this was war… but this is just ridiculous."

But by the look of it, none of them had any other guns, carrying knives, pipes, and brass knuckles. But even with the fact of having a weapon on his side, the fact that it looked to be at least 20 against 1 did not help him imagine a win scenario.

"Give up Yuna," one of them said, who was standing in front of the door. "And just maybe we'll let you die quick."

"Tempting offer," Yuna shot back, "But I won't back down. There is no way you can make me."

"Then there is no way you can make it out ali-AARRGGH!"

Confused as to the sudden scream of pain, many of them looked to the man in shock, and watched as he fell over. When he did, there was a knife in his back, and standing behind him was Weevil Crawler. He had a look in his eyes that was synonymous with 'someone is going to die today', and every single one of the Archaic Justice members could see it.

"Well congratulations, Archaic Assholes!" Weevil declared, bloodlust almost laced in his voice, "You've done it! You've pissed me off!" Taking the knife out of the one man's back, Weevil looked ready to fight. "And not just me. You've got the entire gang ready to bust your heads wide open!"

One man scoffed, "And how do you all intend to fight all of us?" He gestured to his allies, who seemed to swell with arrogance just slightly.

That was until the first man received a punch to the back of the head, that sent him straight to the ground. And who threw the punch?

Shockingly enough, it was Kano.

"Well, by the looks of it," he said, his voice low, "That's three down, about 15 more to go."

Suddenly, another fell to the ground, with Janine behind him. "Make that four down. Do I hear five down?"

"Alright that's enough!" One man yelled, before looking to his allies, "Just attack them!"

And seeing that a few allies were already down, the Archaic Justice men didn't waste a second. They split their forces, trying to deal with Yuna and his little gang of friends. Considering their numbers, they were certain that this would be over quickly.

* * *

Three were approaching Yuna, but Kano quickly got in the way, hitting one hard with a strong left hook. He was left reeling at that, while the other two were prompted to attack. Avoiding the first one's punch, Kano jabbed at the first man, making him flinch, while ducking under the second one's punch.

Seeing an opportunity, he swept the second man's feet out from under him, before returning to standing, only to take a strong right to the face. Reeling from it, he takes a step back, but doesn't lose his ground. The moment he gets his footing again, he strikes back with a right of his own.

The first man staggers, leaving an opportunity for Kano, who then hits him right in the face with a roundhouse, and transitioning to a spinning hook kick to catch another. Neither went down, but Kano could tell he hit them hard, so he kept on them. _'Just remember,'_ he told himself, _'Aggression. Use it. These AJ guys are not that tough.'_

As he was thinking this, he saw a punch coming right for him, and ducked under. Luckily for him, it turned out that one of his fellow AJ men was attempting a sneak attack, only to receive said punch straight to his nose.

"Ow! What the hell, man!?" the punchee yelled, to which the puncher quickly fumbled for words. "I'm so sorry man. I was trying to get the little bugg- OOF!"

While they were talking, Kano took advantage of the confusion, catching the puncher with a punch to the nuts, before kicking the punchee away. While the puncher was clutching at his balls in pain, Kano swept his feet out from underneath him, before stomping on his chest.

' _Alright, this is going good,'_ he thought, _'I'm doing alright, and maybe if I'm lucky, I won't hav-'_

*BAM!*

Before he can even finish that thought, he felt something painful hit him right in the back of his head. He fell to the ground dazed, and his vision blurred.

' _Ok, maybe not…'_

As soon as his vision started to clear, he turned around, and noticed his attacker. This one had a blunt pipe in hand, and was winding up for another swing. Seeing this, Kano rolled out of the way, and got back to his feet. And as soon as he was standing, his vision got a bit of a red tint.

' _Oh no… you want out, don't you?'_

' _ **Heh heh,'**_ Kano heard a voice chuckle in the back of his mind, _**'C'mon, you know you want him to bleed. All you need is to give me control.'**_

' _No! I can't let them see! What will they think!?'_

The pipe fighter reeled back for another swing, and Kano was ready to block, but before the swing could even go through, he fell to the ground as another punch came from behind. The red went away the moment that Kano saw who threw the punch.

"Aria!?"

There, standing before him was the daughter of Yusei, who was wearing fingerless gloves, which looked to be there only to protect her hands slightly. Her hair was down, and her eyes were more piercing, and stronger than normal.

"Come on Kano," she said, her voice strangely confident, "We have to fight."

Kano himself looked at her, and was about to ask what brought her out, but he felt like he didn't want to waste time. So he just nodded and got back up. When he looked her in the eye, he noticed something. Instead of the normal bluish-purple they were, they seemed… grey. But not grey in a 'lifeless' way, more so in a threatening way.

"Good," she said, "Now let's make sure these guys don't come back." And before Kano could even respond, she ran over, and punched another guy.

' _ **Looks like she can fight. I'll be damned.'**_

Seeing this, Kano realized something. Aria, who had shown signs of fearing conflict, still tried to fight. And against armed men, no less.

'… _Alright, go ahead. But you've got five minutes, and try to be subtle.'_

The voice from before chuckled, and Kano heard him say, _**'I can work with that.'**_

Kano closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them up, his eyes went from purple to red. And without another word, he headed back into the battle.

* * *

As Kano passed by, Weevil could see the murderous look in his eyes. And something about it made him smile. "Glad to see I'm not the only one out for blood," he said, gripping on the knife in his hand. "Because otherwise, this wouldn't be as fun."

Hearing a sound behind him, Weevil turned around right as someone attempted to punch him. He dodged effortlessly, and slashed the guy right across the stomach. A slight bit of blood stained the guy's robe, and that gave Weevil a general indication that he did some damage.

"Looks like someone is a bit ill-prepared," he taunted, not hiding the malice in his voice, "And here I thought this was going to be a challenge."

"Shut up kid," the guy snapped, trying to throw more punches. However, his punches were slow, and Weevil seemed to be lightning fast compared to them. He was dodging near effortlessly, and taunting him with lines like "Is that all you've got?" and "Come on, I thought you guys were supposed to be scary". It was really starting to get to the man.

"You've got nothing! You couldn't kill Yuna if you tried!"

"Just shut the hell up!" The guy exclaimed angrily, throwing one more punch Weevil's way. "Just who the hell do you think you are!?"

And right at the punch came in, Weevil caught it, and stabbed the knife right into the man's wrist. He clenched his teeth in pain, and Weevil twisted the knife ever so slightly, amplifying the pain a lot. A sadistic smirk adorned Weevil's features, as he pulled the knife out, and said only one thing:

"They call me 'The Spider'!"

Fear was evident in the man's eyes, as he stared dead into Weevil's. There was no hint of dishonesty, yet he still couldn't believe it. He had heard of 'The Spider' before, but to hear that he was friends with their target...

"Th-that's it," he stuttered, stepping back slowly, "I didn't sign up for this, I'm outta here!" He turned around, hoping to get away, but he felt an iron grip on the back of his neck, that sent chills down his spine.

"I'm afraid not," Weevil said, his voice chilling, "See, your dumbass coworker shot one of my friends, and you are here to kill one of my oldest buddies. You made this bed, now you gotta sleep on it." As he said this, he pushed the knife into the man's back.

"And I'll see to it that it's an ETERNAL sleep!"

* * *

From the sidelines, Janine saw Weevil's display, as well as Kano and Aria fighting together with surprising aggression. A twinge of pride ran through her, as she watched Kano kicking some serious ass, and remembering all the times he has tried to get her advice on being tough. _'He's come pretty far...'_

"Janine, look out!"

Catching the sound of Yuna's voice, she looked over and saw a punch coming right for her face. Luckily, she was able to move out of the way in time, and caught the guy with a kick to the gut, and then a punch to the face.

"Thanks," she called out to Yuna, before calling "On your left!"

She watched as Yuna avoided, and hit his attacker with a spinning hook kick, noting his proficiency with it. She'd have to ask about that later.

Unfortunately, Yuna had Janine's attention for a second too long, and a punch came her way that she did not see, and caught her right in the jaw. Looking over, she saw the original gunman was the culprit, and this only helped to piss her off. She prepared to strike back as she saw him wind back up, but suddenly he fell forward in pain, gripping the back of his head.

Looking behind the him, she saw Yuna standing there with a large branch in hand. The way he carried it looked akin to a swordsman, and the look in his eyes implied 'I'm ready to smack a bitch up'.

"Ok seriously!?" the 'gunman' questioned, "Where the heck do you even find a branch!? Last I checked, this is a desert!" Meanwhile, in the background, Marik could faintly be heard yelling "Has anyone seen my walking stick!?"

"Sorry about that, Uncle," he muttered to himself, before smacking the man upside the head with the stick once again. With that, the battle was waged, and it was Janine and Yuna's combined strength that was forcing the man back.

Then, the man grabbed the branch, and punched Yuna directly in the eye. He dropped the stick, clutching at the left side of his face, and began to almost snarl at the man. Seeing his opportunity, the man grabbed a small knife out of his pocket, and went to stab Yuna.

But before he could, Yuna took the gun back out of his pocket, and pointed it directly at the man's jaw. The gunman flinched just slightly, as Yuna's eye flared up, getting that usual white firey aura around it.

"What?" Yuna questioned coyly, a slight smirk appearing on his face. "You think I'm going to take your gun and NOT use it?"

It was clear by the look on the Gunman's face that he was feeling at least something akin to fear. But within a second, he hardened his expression, and said "You won't shoot me. You don't have the guts."

This was of course supposed to sound intimidating, but all it did was make Yuna's smug grin get a little bit smugger. "Don't just assume what kind of guts I have."

"You won't do it. I know you wont."

Yuna's expression seemed to fade just a bit. For the most part, he was just attempting to bluff out the man, because he knew he couldn't go through with it. Even the idea of 'sending someone to the Shadow Realm' disturbed him a little, so how would he be willing to put a bullet in someone's jaw?

And the man could see that in Yuna's eyes. The white aura dimmed, and that gave the man all the indication he needed.

"You aren't going to pull that trigger," the gunman said, "I can see it in your eyes." And without a second thought, he gripped down on the gun, and attempted to wrestle it out of Yuna's hand. However, Yuna was not going to let that happen, as evidenced by the fact he resisted, attempting to keep the gun in his hands.

As they struggled, Yuna kicked the man in the stomach once again, and this forced him to back off once again. The white aura flared up once again, and took up his combat stance. "I may not be willing to shoot," he told the man, "But I'll sure as hell beat the living crap out of you."

"I won't give you that chance."

But as soon as this sentence was uttered, Yuna noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Something large and shiny was approaching at an incredible speed, and before anyone could react properly, the item slammed right into the gunman, sending him flying a good distance away.

When it finally landed, Yuna could clearly see that it was the glass coffee table from inside the house.

 _'Wait... WHAT!?'_

"He may not get that chance," Yuna heard a voice say, "But I will!"

When Yuna looked to where he heard the voice from, he saw something that he could not believe. There in the doorway, with his golden gauntlets on, and as if in defiance of the Archaic Justice's efforts, stood Brandon Monarco.

The red on his shirt was displayed proudly for everyone to see, but even this didn't take away from the look of anger in his eyes.

This shocked Yuna so much, that he simply did not know how to respond.

And apparently, he was not the only one. Every single one of the AJ's men stood frozen in place, and Yuna could tell by their body language that they were in deep fear. "H-how can this be," one of them questioned shakily. "He was shot straight through the heart! That should have killed him!"

"He's not human! He can't be!" Another called out, "This entire group is full of freaks! Let's get out of here. They don't pay us enough to face people like them!" And judging by the fact that so many of them began to run, they all agreed.

They scrambled, all trying to get away from the battle as quickly as possible. All that was left was the gunman, who simply looked back at his men. "Cowards," he said angrily, "I'll make sure that Salu makes you all pay!"

He turned back, to see Brandon slowly approaching, anger evident in his eyes. In spite of everything, the gunman did not back down, and approached Brandon. "I see that one bullet wasn't enough," he said, gripping down on his knife, "This time, I'll be sure to go for the throat."

He rushed towards Brandon, and tried to slash at him. As soon as he got close however, he received a kick to the sternum, followed by one to the jaw, one to the stomach, and a back kick straight to the chest. He was forced back by the impact of the last kick, and fell back onto the sand.

"So, you think you can shoot me," Brandon questioned, "Try to hurt my friends, and get away with it? Is that it!?" He stomped on the man's chest immense force, causing him to cough up a bit of blood. "You've made a lot of mistakes today, but your biggest was pissing me off!"

The man feebly attempted to push Brandon's boot off of him, but it was unmoving, and only caused Brandon to apply more pressure. The man saw only one possible way out...

"Is it too late to beg for mercy?"

"You lost that privilege last chapter."

The gunman looked at Brandon confusedly, but before he could say anything, Brandon grabbed him, and punched him directly in the throat. They heard him gasp for air and choke for a couple of seconds, then...

Silence.

"It's done," Brandon said, sighing in exhaustion. "But they'll be back, I'm sure of it."

As Brandon turned back around, everyone looked at him in shock. Even Weevil, who had blood stains all over his clothes was considerably baffled. But none of this compared to Yuna, who just could not believe what was before him.

"I suppose I have some explaining to do?" he questioned, not even attempting to lighten the mood.

"That's the simple way of putting it," Yuna told him. Brandon nodded, and told them "Well then, let's head inside." At this point, everyone's adrenaline had subsided, and Kano was the one to ask "What about him? Are we just supposed to leave a carcass there?"

"Don't you worry about him," Brandon said, "I'll take care of it. Now just head inside, and we can get this whole mess all sorted out."

A couple of them wanted to object, but they could not. They were absolutely drained by this fight, and they did not have the energy to argue. Without another word, they all headed back towards the house, deciding it is better to just wait patiently for an explanation.

Though they doubted any explanation would really be enough to get rid of all this shock.

* * *

 **So, I'm back, and with a chapter I doubt anyone was really expecting, but this brings up something I want to make clear. This ain't just gonna be your normal Yu-Gi-Oh! Fic. You can expect some problems to be resolved with fists instead of cards, and from this point on, character development is going to be something I strive for a little more.**

 **That being said, if anything in this chapter bugged you, or you are extremely iffy on gratuitous violence, then do not worry about that taking over the ENTIRE fic. It is still based on an anime based on a CARD Game after all. I'm just telling you to be prepared, because there is always a chance for it to happen in fic.**

 **Anyways, I've gotten that of my chest, and now I am going to work on the next chapter.**

 **Until next time.**


	19. Ep 19: 'Sign of War' Part 2

**Well hello again everyone, I bring you another chapter.**

 **This time around is gonna be another important one, because this chapter is the one that will be ending the prologue. Next time I write for this universe, it will be in 'Spirits of the Past: Season 1', and you'd best believe I plan on working hard for that one.**

 **But for now, I welcome you to the end of the prologue chapters.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Yuna entered the house, with Janine, Kano, Aria, and Weevil following in tow. There was still blood on the floor, and the coffee table was definitely missing. The house almost seemed empty for the most part, other than Tora and Lana, both sitting on the couch.

"Jeez," Yuna declared, unable to really say more than that, "Just... jeez."

As he looked around, he saw that the damage was minimal inside, and was thankful for that one. He would hate to have to explain a busted living room t-

"Yuna!"

His uncles...

Speaking of, Marik came over, grabbing the boy into a defensive hold. "Oh thank goodness," Marik declared, "We were so worried! Are you alright!? Nothing broken!?"

"I'm fine," Yuna assured, as he wiggled out of the death grip, and offered up the branch, "Uh, by the way, I may have borrowed your walking stick to batter a man. Sorry..."

Marik took it back, but was quick to respond with "Oh nevermind that, boy! Right now I'm more concerned with what happened. To think that horrid man was attempting to kill you!"

"Wait, you knew about that?" Yuna questioned, obviously confused. "How?"

Without warning, Odion entered the room, and said "Your friend Brandon told us everything when he got back up, and warned us to take cover. So we sent Aaron and Jabari to their rooms and let him use whatever he needed to get them out of here."

Hearing that cleared up any and all confusion Yuna had about that situation, and yet he still felt like he had a thousand questions about everything. All of which he intended to get answers to at another time.

Right now, he had to get the important ones answered.

As Yuna surveyed his surroundings, his focus went over to the couch, where both Lana and Tora still sat, with a thousand-yard-stare plastered on each of their faces. Before he could even react, Weevil rushed past him, and ran over to Tora. He looked at her with intense and focused eyes, as if gathering information.

He finally nodded after a minute or two, and outstretched his hand. "Yuna," he called, "Get me a bucket of water!"

At that, Tora let out a horrified shriek, and clung to Weevil's shirt, sending the poor boy off balance, and falling to the ground.

Seeing this, Yuna decided that he was going to give a more gentle approach with Lana. He simply walked over to the young girl, and placed his hand gently on her cheek. That seemed to return her focus to her, and as she noticed Yuna's hand, she looked away and blushed. "H-hey," she said, "Sorry about that. I just... didn't know what to do about that guy."

"It's alright," Yuna told her with a smile, "We were able to handle it regardless." His attention then wavered to Tora for a moment, as he asked "But why did both of you just freeze up?"

"I got it for the same reason," Tora told him, getting off of Weevil and standing back up, "That was a shock to the whole system. What was I supposed to do?"

"Well, I mean you could have used those claws of yours," Weevil suggested casually.

Tora just looked at Weevil like he grew a second head. "I'm eight years old, and you expect me to fight grown men!?"

"You're also the same height as me -which, real talk, you are uncommonly tall for an eight-year-old girl-, and I could have most certainly loaned you a dagger."

Tora paused. "Uh... no comment."

"Speaking of, where did you find that thing?" Yuna questioned, taking a look at the bloody dagger still in Weevil's hand. "I don't remember them selling blades like that anymore."

"Oh, I found it in the couch cushions," Weevil told him dumbly, "It was just there."

Yuna was about to respond, before they all heard a loud gasp. "So THAT'S where the ceremonial dagger went! I've been looking all over for that!" Marik then came over and took it from Weevil before he could object. He sighed as he looked at it, "I should really hide these things. It's not like I even use them."

Yuna chuckled. "Well, considering what happened, I thank Ra that you didn't."

"Amen to that."

Hearing that familiar voice, everyone's attention went to the door, where Brandon was halfway through trying to angle the coffee table through said door. "It's, uh, all in one piece, surprisingly," he told everyone, chuckling nervously, "I threw it pretty hard there."

And remembering that, everyone's expression went pretty somber. "How can you be so casual about all this?" Kano questioned, "You were shot!"

"I know, and yet I'm still here," was Brandon's retort, "Luckily, the bastard couldn't aim if his life depended on it- which it did." To emphasize his point, Brandon simply moved his jacket ever so slightly, revealing that the bullet wound was in fact not in his chest, but in his shoulder.

"Whoa, and how did you pull that one off?" Weevil had to question. "I've never known someone that fast."

"It helps when the person shooting you happens to be slow on the draw," was his response, "He actually took a moment to pull the trigger, and that gave me enough time to move. That just proves how incompetent these Archaic Idiots are."

That seemed to help lighten the mood ever so slightly. At least from that, everyone had a grin on their face. "I'm just glad we all made it out okay," Yuna said, relief washing over his system, "But that leaves us with important work to do. From this point on, they've made it clear that dueling won't be their only way of attempting to destroy us. We have to be prepared for the worst."

"Well, if anyone needs any lessons on how to break a man," Brandon started, "Then you ca-"

"Come to me for tips on that one."

Everyone just looked back, some in shock, some in amazement, as the one who said that was revealed to be Kano. The look on his face told them he was serious, but many of them simply couldn't believe it. Kano teaching others how to hurt their attackers?

"My father made me train in Judo since I was five years old, and in my old neighborhood, I had to beat up a lot of bullies," he clarified, "I may not LIKE to fight, but I'm damn good at it, I guarantee you. I can teach you some grapples that might just save your lives someday."

No one really knew what to make of that, other than to smile and nod. It was silent for a couple of moments, before Weevil piped up, telling them "As long as we're offering lessons, I can teach you all how to work with knives, both wielding them, and throwing them."

"I can help us all set up training regimens," Janine offered, "My dad is an athlete, and he taught me everything he knows."

All of these offers started a chain, with everyone offering lessons in whatever skills they had. Lana offered to teach some flips and tricking, Aria shocked everyone by offering to teach some boxing to them, and even Tora offered her limited skill in tumbling and gymnastics.

Everyone had at least something that they were willing to help the others with, and this allowed them to collaborate and plan out training sessions. And this made Yuna smile.

 _'You're all working like a team.'_

As soon as he heard this, Yuna's focus was pulled into his mind. For a moment, he had forgotten that the spirits were there.

 _'You're not wrong about that one, Yugi,'_ he replied mentally, trying to keep a pokerface outside, _'And hopefully we can keep it that way. We're gonna need to be prepared if we wanna win against these guys, and that means we better be able to work with each other.'_

 _'Ah, chill out,'_ Jaden declared, sounding chipper as usual, _'If your previous fight was anything to go off of, we should be fine. I can just imagine them running back to their master with their tails between their legs!'_

The very thought put a happy smile on Yuna's face. But that smile quickly faded.

 _'Is something the matter,'_ he heard Yugi question. Yuna sighed quietly, and told them _'That man said that he didn't serve Xel, right? I wasn't just hearing things, was I?'_

 _'That's what I heard,'_ Jaden told him, _'What about it?'_

 _'That makes me worry. Could he have meant Vice? Or is there someone else we don't know about?'_

 _'That is a good question,'_ was Yugi's only response, _'But who the hell would send someone to shoot you?'_

* * *

"A goddamn idiot! That's what you are!"

In a dark room, lit only by candles, stood Xel Umant, visibly angry. He was one of only two people in the room, the other being the object of his anger.

Before him stood a tall, burly man, about 6'6, with dark skin, long flowing black hair, and a scar over his right eye. He was dressed in similarly decorated robes to Vice, and on his sides were a pair of golden daggers.

"I can't believe you Salu!" yelled Xel, "I've told you a thousand times before that murdering Yuna was exactly what we don't want!"

The man, known as Salu, simply gave Xel a glare, and said "And I've told you a thousand times that he is a problem that needs to be destroyed as soon as possible! We can't afford to have someone like him around, especially if he is trying to get more powerful!"

Xel considered Salu's words for only a fraction of a second before disregarding them. "You seem to forget that our job is to gather the SOULS of strong duelists, which we can only do with Shadow Duels or the New Millennium Items! So unless you gave your lackey some 'New Millennium Gun' I'm not aware of, that would be a complete waste!"

"And how so, Xel? He's a nobody!"

"He's the spiritual vessel!"

Silence ran over the room as Xel let the gravity of that sink in. He knew Salu was a little slow, so he was willing to wait.

"That Yuna kid is the spiritual vessel?" Salu asked slowly, "Then that means..."

Xel nodded. "Yuna holds the spirits of the four previous kings of dueling within himself. Easily four of the most powerful duelists in history, and their dueling energy is off the charts. You can only imagine what that kind of power could do."

"I had thought that was a myth." Salu said, "But if that's the case..." Xel's frown softened to a neutral expression, and he was sure that Salu was about to make a calm and rational choice.

"We need to kill him as quickly as possible! We can't afford to have someone like that interfering with our plans, duel energy be damned!"

Or not...

"No!" Xel screamed, "That's the dumb thing to do! We can't just go gungho about it! We need to have a plan!"

"Oh, I have no time for your maniacal ramblings, you idealistic fool!"

"Then perhaps you are willing to listen to MY maniacal ramblings, because I happen to agree with Xel."

Both Xel and Salu looked over, and saw that the one who interrupted them was none other than Vice. The New Millennium Sword was slung over his shoulder, and his expression feigning boredom.

"You seem to forget, Salu, that both Xel and I are the same rank as you," Vice explained, almost condescendingly, "And as the only one who has dueled Yuna, I can tell you that he isn't much of a threat just yet. We should be focusing our efforts on collecting souls, and if we need to, then we can beat them in a duel, and get their duel energy for our own."

"That is completely idiotic!" Salu argued, "If they are to become a threat, then we should kill them before that day comes!"

"Would you kill a bear cub just because it could grow up in a few years?"

Salu simply looked at him shocked, and Xel knew that he had struck a nerve with that question. Salu was a hunter, and a metaphor like that was sure to make sense to someone like him.

"B-but that's completely different!" Salu tried to argue, but Xel was not going to budge. He knew he had Salu in a corner thanks to that one.

"It really isn't," Vice added in, "And even if it was, that doesn't change anything. It's two against one, and we say that there are more important things to focus on!"

This just seemed to anger Salu, as he knew that they were right. Being the same rank, it worked like a democracy, where the majority vote won out. If these two said he couldn't kill him, then he couldn't continue with his efforts.

But then it hit him...

"Well here's the truth of the situation," he told the two younger men, "Even as we're having this conversation, it changes nothing! Right now, my men have probably already killed Yuna, and any of his little friends who got in the way!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the chamber door. Salu smirked at that.

"In fact, I bet that's them right now, back with the carcass and all of his stuff."

As Salu walked to the door, he was expecting his men to come in, and tell him about a job well done. About how they had killed Yuna effortlessly, and that their little problem was out of the way completely...

What he was NOT expecting was for one of his men to fall down onto his knees and scream bloody murder.

"Oh god, Salu! I'm so sorry! It was horrible!" he shrieked, "We failed!"

"Failed? How!? I gave you guys a gun and enough weapons to beat up anyone that got in your way!"

Salu was about to ask more, but he got stopped by the man's continual screaming, "The guy's friends came out and started to attack our men! It was an absolute bloodbath! And to top it all off, they had a guy who survived a shot through the heart! They aren't human!"

Hearing this was certainly a wake-up call to Salu.

To hear that someone survived a shot to the heart was definitely something, but to know that Yuna and his friends fought back... meant that they were certainly more prepared than he had first anticipated.

But that thought was interrupted when he heard Xel's chuckle in the background. "Well well," he declared, "Looks like you've failed your little 'search and destroy' mission. That would make this strike three wouldn't it? It would be a shame if this info were to get back to central HQ."

Salu's eyes widened at the realization. He already had two strikes, and if a third were to be added on, he would no doubt lose his job. Maybe even his life...

"Eh heh, what was I thinking?" Salu said, chuckling nervously, "You guys are right. I shouldn't be wasting such valuable resources on something as silly as that. We have more important matters to attend to."

Xel smirks. "That's more like it, Salu."

"Besides, if worst comes to worst we can simply defeat them in a duel," Salu continued, really desperate to keep Xel from blabbing about this, "I mean, it's not like they're good duelists or anything!"

* * *

"ACHOO!"

Everyone jerked their heads over to Brandon, who had just sneezed incredibly hard.

"Bless you," Janine called out, "You alright after that one?"

"Sorry, it's just... I sensed a disturbance in the force."

Janine just looked at Brandon with a raised eyebrow, as he simply told her "Somewhere out there... there is a bitch that needs to be slapped!"

"Well, wait 'til later for that, big guy," Janine told him, "For now, help me with the stew. If we're gonna be training, we need to eat right."

Reluctantly, Brandon got off the couch, and came over. "Okay, so what is it you wante-" he never got to finish his sentence, as a spoon was shoved into his mouth. "Shut up and tell me if that tastes alright," she told him as she pulled the spoon out. "I'm trying out a new recipe from one of Marik's books."

As Brandon finally started to taste it, he was amazed. This was easily some of the best stew he had ever tasted. And that was shocking, considering who made it. "Damn, Janine," he declared as he enjoyed the taste for a bit longer, "I didn't know you could cook."

"Get to know me, Monarco," she teased, "I'm amazing."

"You've also got a bit of an ego," he teased right back. "But that we already knew."

"Duh! I'm the combination of a Wheeler and a Valentine. That means two things!"

"Thick thighs and big ti- OW!"

"Oh by the way, before I forget," Janine told him while he looked at the foot she stomped on, "Yuna said he needs to talk to you upstairs."

"Did he now?" Brandon questioned, finally standing back on both feet, "What about?"

"Dunno. Better go check. He hates waiting on stuff."

Feeling like he probably should, Brandon just shrugged, and began to head off towards the stairs. Once he got up to the second floor, he opened the door to the room Yuna was using, and saw both Yuna and Aria sitting on the bed.

"Good to see you made it," Yuna declared as he stood up, "We have something very important to discuss."

"Something tells me you don't mean Duel Monsters strategies," Brandon said, trying to keep the mood light.

"I'm going to just say this straight up," he began, gesturing for Brandon to take a seat, "As soon as I make my new decks, I'm going to reveal the truth to them. And I know you two know exactly what I mean when I say that."

Both nodded, before Brandon spoke up. "I'm still surprised that me and Aria were the only two who figured it out. I mean it's not like you hide it that much."

Yuna chuckled a little, and remembered the first time he had blacked out that he was aware of. Remembering that day with Wake, Yuna smiled, happy to finally have the answers to what was happening.

"Well, with that, I want you guys to know that if you ever need to talk with a spirit, then don't hesitate to ask," Yuna told them, and they could hear the acceptance in his voice. "They're now a part of the team just as much as I am, and I don't plan on restraining them anymore."

"Wow, you've adapted to the concept rather quickly," Aria noted, "That's impressive."

Yuna shrugged. "I'm a Kaiba, it's what we do."

Without another word, Yuna raised his hand to his face, and began to mess with his hair. After a moment, the two saw that he was moving it out of his face, and now they could see what he had been hiding for so long.

His left eye, iris as white as snow, but just as piercing and confident as his right.

"Alright Yuna, that's a good start," Brandon said, "You've finally accepted that wearing your hair like that makes you look emo. That's good, first step is acknowledgement."

To that, Yuna simply glared. "Watch it, Monarco, or my second step will be throwing a red sock in with your whites."

Brandon's eyes widened ever so slightly upon hearing that.

"But you are right, the first step is acknowledgement. And I acknowledge that I'm sick and tired of keeping secrets from my friends. From now on, I have nothing to hide."

 _'Well, that makes one of us,'_ Brandon thought to himself, _'But at the very least it's good to hear he's getting somewhere.'_

"Well, if that's all we needed to talk about, I'm going to take my leave now."

"Go ahead," Yuna said, "I've got a lot of business to attend to anyway. I intend on starting my training early."

"Have fun with that."

Without another word, both Brandon and Aria left the room, and Yuna had some peace to plan.

 _'Did you mean what you said?'_

... Or as much as you can with voices in your head.

"Yes, Yusei," he said, not afraid of talking out loud to them anymore, "I meant it completely. I'm not going to hide a part of who I am. If you and the others say I'm this 'Spiritual Vessel', then I'm just gonna own it."

 _'I can respect that. And all I can say is I hope this works out for the best. I'd especially hate to see my little girl hurt.'_

"Heh. I'm sure she'll be fine. Aria might not look it, but I can tell the girl has some fight in her. And even if she didn't, I'll protect her. And not just her, all of my friends."

 _'Do you mean that?'_

Yuna smiled. "I do. I genuinely do."

 _'Then they're in good hands.'_

That was the best thing he could hear, to have complete confirmation of trust. With that info, he had even more incentive to do well. He didn't plan on letting them down, and he most certainly didn't believe in giving up.

"I may not be at my best right now, but I sure as hell won't let them win."

And Yuna was certain if there was any promise in this world he would keep, it would be that one.

* * *

 **So we've finally gotten to the end of the line for the prologue. I'm pretty happy with it, though the fact that I messed up a lot of the earlier duels kind of upsets me. But oh well, what can you do? People get better with practice, and at this point, I hope to have gotten good enough to make a better story for the future chapters.**

 **But that's enough of my rambling. I hope you all enjoyed. As always, read, review, and all that good stuff, and you will be duly rewarded with more stories, more duels, and more stuff, when we end up in 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Spirits of the Past: Season 1'**

 **As always, until next time!**


End file.
